Stormy Weather
by Maxie Kay
Summary: Two agents; one storm; one night; one room with one bed. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. And just when they thought they had it made, the world fell apart in a way they could never have imagined.
1. Chapter 1

**Stormy Weather**

An NCIS: Los Angeles Fanfiction

By

Maxie Kay

"Damn!" Kensi thumped the steering wheel in frustration. "The road's completely washed out ahead." The sudden storm was showing no signs of abating any time soon and the rain was positively bouncing off the road, in addition to thundering down on roof of the car so hard that it was making it difficult to think straight.

Deeks looked at his cell in disgust. "And there's no signal. Surprise, surprise. Okay, which do you want to go with?" He gave Kensi the look she had learned to dread: the one that was purportedly innocent, if you didn't know better. She wasn't about to be taken in by it again, for if there was one thing her partner was most definitely not, it was innocent. He was a whole lot of things, including incredibly annoying and easily distracted, but the last time Deeks could possibly have been described as innocent was way back in kindergarten. And she wouldn't have put it past him to make a pass at his first grade teacher.

"I do not want to spend the night in this car." She was playing it safe.

"Afraid you'll not be able to resist jumping on my bones?" Yup, she'd been completely right: there was certainly nothing innocent about Marty Deeks.

"It's more likely that I'd be tempted to bash you on the head with the tire iron." Kensi smiled sweetly. "Although any right-thinking jury would acquit me on the grounds of extreme provocation."

"Okay, we'll go for Plan B then." He leant back in the seat and crossed his arms. "Go on then."

A beat passed. And then another. If it hadn't been for the tympanic effect of the rain, the silence in the car would have been deafening.

"Are we going for Plan B or not? Or do you prefer the option of ravishing me?" Deeks asked convivially.

"Getting struck by lightning seems like more fun than that." Kensi sighed inwardly. "Go on then – tell me about Plan B." He was clearly dying to.

"Start the car and turn around. There was a coffee shop about five miles back."

"Coffee? How can you think about coffee at a time like this?"

"And right alongside the coffee shop, there was a motel."

She could just tell from the smug tone of his voice that Deeks was definitely smirking and there was no need to confirm it by giving him the satisfaction of looking. But actually, hot coffee and a warm, dry bed for the night sounded pretty good right now. "Plan B it is then."

Deeks loved the way a small muscle in her jaw jumped whenever she was caught wrong-footed. It seemed to be the one thing Kensi couldn't control and it tickled him half to death. Pretending to study his cell phone as it searched fruitlessly for a signal, he watched her from underneath lowered lashes and saw the set expression on her face gradually soften.

"You like my plan then? How about I get a reward?" he cajoled.

"What are you – six?"

"Oh, I'm bigger than that – way bigger."

Kensi could feel the hot flush starting at her cheeks and then burning so brightly right the way down to her collar bone that she was surprised the interior of the car wasn't lit up. If only she didn't have to concentrate quite so hard on keeping the car on the road, she would be tempted to hit him very hard indeed. It was a pity the tire iron was underneath the seat – she'd really have to find a better, more accessible place for it, one where it was instantly to hand for moments like this. "Don't flatter yourself, Deeks."

"I'm not. I'm just repeating what I've been told. And actually, most people say I'm really modest. When they see the real me."

Incorrigible. That was another thing her partner was, Kensi thought. Completely and utterly incorrigible. And with a one-track mind to boot. Okay, make that a two track mind: sex and coffee. And for once, his obsession with the latter had actually proved quite useful in tracking down somewhere to stay. But even if Deeks had managed to hit the jackpot with that, there was no way he was about to score any other way, not tonight and not with her. Not with her anytime soon.

"So what about my reward?"

"How about I promise that I'll buy you a piece of pie?"

"Pie works for me. Apple pie, I think. Or maybe cherry. I kind of like cherry."

"Shut up, Deeks." A flash of lightning illuminated the lowering sky and Kensi thought that the sooner they got to the motel, the better. The night was so bad that even she wouldn't stop the car and throw Deeks out, no matter how annoying he got, which was really saying something.

"Okay, maybe it wasn't the best plan in the world," Deeks admitted. "But at least it was a plan. We could still go back out to the car and cuddle up in the back seat if you really want?" He raised his eyebrow questioningly, another gesture that Kensi knew to be a warning sign of further inanity to come. "If you really, really want?"

"Don't sing. That would be the last straw. Because then I'd have to shoot you and put you out of your misery." Why did Deeks have to say 'really' quite so much? It was getting really annoying. And it was catching too, which was worse.

* * *

><p>"Left or right?"<p>

"Left or right what, Deeks? I'm not in the mood for playing games." The brief dash from the car had soaked right through her jacket and Kensi was aware that her hair was dripping wet into the bargain. Knowing her luck, her mascara would have run too. The sooner today was over with and they were back in LA then better.

"That's a pity. I know some great games: consequences, murder in the dark… sardines."

"Left or right what?" Kensi repeated. It was best just to ignore some things. Heaven knows, Deeks didn't need any encouragement.

"Side of the bed. Of course, it depends which way you look at it, doesn't it? From the bottom up or the head down. I prefer the bottom up, myself." Deeks caught sight of the look on her face and stopped short. "What? I was only being polite and asking." He tried to look hurt and aggrieved and managed surprisingly well.

"We are not sharing the bed. I am not going to sleep with you." Kensi was holding on to the ends of her patience, which were being stretched very thin.

"Well, if that's what you really want, I'm not going to argue with you." Deeks flung himself onto the bed and stretched out, all the while eyeing up the room. "Good luck though. There's only about two feet of clear space all around the bed, so unless you're going to crawl underneath it, I guess you're going to be spending the night sitting on the commode."

It was true – this had to be the smallest motel room Kensi had ever seen, with the bed taking up the lion's share of the space. There was just enough room to walk around it – in single file.

Deeks rolled over and leant over the side of the bed, checking the underside. "You've got about 18 inches head room, I'd say. Is that enough for you? Mind you, given the amount of dust bunnies under there, I can't really recommend it."

"If you were any sort of gentleman…" Kensi fumed, knowing she was well and truly boxed into a corner, with no possible hope of escape.

"I offered you first choice of which side of the bed you wanted," he protested. "And it was you who said you didn't want to sleep with me."

If there had been any viable alternative, Kensi would have grabbed it with both hands. But they were stuck in the back of beyond, in the middle of the worst storm she had ever seen and they'd been lucky to get this room at all. Another stranded motorist had come in on their heels, only to be told the last available room had been taken. If only it wasn't such a very small double bed… There wasn't even room to shove a pillow in between them.

"Right," she said forcefully.

"Right?" Deeks lounged back on the pillows, fingers laced behind his head and looking supremely comfortable.

"I sleep on the right." Kensi pushed slightly harder than she meant to, so that Deeks rolled right over and onto the floor. It sounded rather painful, which only served him right.

"I always wondered what you kept in your ready bag." Deeks leant over and Kensi smacked his hand.

"Do you have to be quite so nosy?"

"I was only taking an interest." He sounded hurt, and nursed his hand protectively.

"Well don't. These are my private things." And she knew exactly what he'd been wondering about – which was what she wore to bed. Oh, was Deeks about to be disillusioned. Kensi kept her oldest, most comfortable pyjamas in there, secure in the knowledge that she would be decently clothed no matter what sort of emergency arose. And then she remembered: the last time she'd washed them, the pyjamas had been so threadbare they were almost threatening to disintegrate and so she'd reluctantly thrown them out. With a sinking heart, Kensi realised she' never got around to replacing them. Which meant that she'd be spending the night sleeping in a tank-top and a pair of panties. Clearly, she had been very bad in a former life, because all the fates were conspiring against her in this one.

"Do you want to play with me?"

Jerked out of her reveries, Kensi's head shot up. "What did you say?" Just when she thought she'd heard it all, he still managed to surprise her.

Deeks held out a pack of cards. "I wondered if you wanted to play. Cards. We could play old maid, or five card stud or whatever you want," he said, with a pseudo meekness that didn't fool her for a single instant.

"Or you could play by yourself. Play solitaire, I mean." Great, now she was descending to his level and indulging in double entendres. It must be contagious. Next thing she knew and she'd been mushing words together and drumming her fingers.

"You're not much fun," he called out to her departing back as Kensi made a strategic retreat into the bathroom.

"Deal with it."

Deeks amused himself by seeing how many cards he could flick from his fingers and get to land in the wastepaper bin, as the sound of running water came through the paper thin wall separating the bedroom from the equally tiny bathroom. He was getting close to his all-time record, when Kensi's head poked around the door.

"Are you decent?"

"What kind of a question is that? Come on, Kensi, give me a break here, will you?" He was normally a pretty patient kind of guy, but Kensi had been on his case for hours now and her black mood was starting to rub off.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't changing or anything."

"Oh. Okay then. Sorry." He flashed that blinding smile, the one that melted hearts and made otherwise sane women forgive him instantly. "It's been a long day, and I'm kind of tired."

"Yeah. Me too." It was about as close to an apology as Kensi felt comfortable with.

Deeks' eyes grew wide as she ventured into the room, with her shirt flung over the tank-top and panties, covering her from neck to upper thigh and displaying a good deal of long leg. It had taken Kensi rather longer to prepare for bed than usual, as she hadn't shaved her legs for days and was not about to give Deeks any further opportunities to make smart remarks about merits of lasers versus electrolysis. How come he always knew exactly which buttons to push? And why did she always react?

"Don't you dare say anything. Not one word – understand?"

It was like a red rag to a bull, just as she should have known it would be. It was like laying down a personal challenge Deeks simply had to respond to. Asking him to stay silent was about as likely as telling Sam not to shave his head. It just wasn't going to happen. Sure enough, he couldn't resist.

"I like your hair." Deeks gestured to the loose plait that swung over one shoulder. "This is going to be like sleeping with one of the Waltons. Erin – she was the hot one, wasn't she?"

"You'd be lucky to get to sleep in the barn with Grandpa Walton," Kensi hissed. She was very tempted to pick up one of the pillows and thump him with it, only that probably only encourage him further, and Deeks certainly didn't need any encouragement. He never did, that was the problem. This was going to be a very long night, because there was no way she was going to risk going to sleep with him lying beside her.

"Go on – say what you really think. It's not good to repress these feelings." Deeks only just manage to dodge the hairbrush that Kensi threw at him as he dived into the bathroom.

Kensi waited until she heard the lock on the door being turned before pulling off her shirt and jumping underneath the covers, pulling them right up to her chin. And why was he locking the door in the first place? Did he think she was going to burst in there and catch him unawares or something? Did he really think she wanted to ravish him? By the time Deeks finally came out, she was sweltering.

"Can you crank up the air-con a bit, please?"

"You think this place has a/c? Kensi, they don't even have paper covers for the toilet."

Like she hadn't noticed that and had hovered, rather than sitting down. Men didn't know how lucky they were, and not only when it came to being able to pee standing up."How about you open the window then? It's getting really warm in here."

"Is it? I hadn't noticed." Deeks peeled off his t-shirt, kicked off his boots and started to unbutton his jeans. "Although you are getting quite red in the face."

"The window, Deeks – please?" And please be wearing something under those jeans, Kensi prayed. Please do not be going commando. She wasn't quite sure what she would do if he was. Or wasn't. She wasn't quite sure of anything anymore.

Deeks stepped out of his jeans and folded them neatly before placing them on top of his boots, and then putting his t-shirt into his ready bag. "No can do – can't you hear the rain? It's practically coming in horizontally now the wind's changed."

Sure enough, now that she listened, Kensi could hear the rain crashing against the window pane.

He walked over to the bed and Kensi regarded him in horror. "You are not getting in here like that!"

"Like what?" Deeks looked down at himself. "They were clean on this morning, I promise."

"You can't sleep in just a pair of boxers."

"Newsflash: I can and I do." He pulled the sheet aside and got into bed. "And move over, you're hogging more than your fair share."

Kensi wriggled over infinitesimally. "Any further and I'll fall out. And I'm trusting you, Deeks. Understand?"

"Likewise. I don't want to wake up in the morning and find you've been violating me." He switched out the light as he spoke. "Ouch. What was that for?" She had a kick like a mule, and no mistake.

"You know very well."

"Your feet are freezing, by the way. Want me to warm them up for you?"

"Dream on, Deeks." How come everything he said sounded suggestive? Or was it just her? Kensi lay in the darkness, pondering this and the sheer impossibility of the partner, feeling the warmth from his body and smelling the peppermint from his toothpaste. She could imagine exactly how he would look, lying next to her, his cheek cradled in one hand and that singularly sweet smile she had only ever glimpsed when he was caught off-guard or unconscious, the one that had no pretence and no bravado; the smile that he hid from the world. The smile that got to her every single time. Despite her best efforts, there was something innately attractive about the man that she couldn't resist, no matter how hard she tried. And it would be so very easy just to stretch out and take hold of his hand and throw caution to the wind, to allow herself to be pulled into his embrace and feel his arms around her, his lips on hers. It would be so very easy to break up their partnership in one night. Kensi rolled onto her side, so that she was facing away from Deeks and temptation and then wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

* * *

><p>The sun was shining through the skimpy curtains, shining straight onto the bed, where a couple lay firmly entwined, arms encircling one another and their legs entangled.<p>

Kensi opened her eyes to discover that her face was pressed firmly against Deeks' bare chest, and worse than that, her lips were actually against his nipple, almost as if she was kissing him. She would have pulled away, on he was lying on her left arm, and his right arm was trapped underneath her own body in some sort of human equivalent of the Gordian knot.

Deeks awoke to discover his body was in its habitual morning state of affairs, namely ready for action. Which would have been fine, if he hadn't been pressing up against Kensi's thigh. Of all the screamingly unsubtle things to do, this was possibly the worst. And how the hell had they ended up like this? He opened his eyes to discover Kensi staring up at him.

Kensi detached her lips from his chest. "We are never going to talk about this."

"Agreed." Deeks managed to pull his pelvis back fractionally and they simultaneously disentangled themselves, scooting as far apart as possible.

"Because this never happened." Kensi was sitting on the side of the bed, her back to him as she pulled on her shirt. It was all the fault of that damned bed. It was far too small, that was all. There was nothing else to it. And it meant nothing. Absolutely nothing. Deeks was a player and he wasn't interested in her, or he would have made a move.

"Agreed." Deeks pulled on his jeans and made a bolt for the bathroom. Talk about 'what's the story, morning glory'. The only possible consolation was that Kensi seemed equally mortified. Only the funny thing was that nothing had happened. It wasn't for the lack of wanting to though. It had just about killed him to lie there and not touch her last night. That had been like some cruel and unusual form of punishment and Deeks had surprised himself with his amount of self-restraint. But she was worth it. Kensi was definitely worth it. He could wait until she saw him as something other than a loveable idiot, who was more like a brother than a possible lover. The only problem was that he just wasn't sure how much longer he could hang on for though.

* * *

><p>"If we drive about twenty miles in that direction, we can get back onto the freeway." Deeks pointed to the map he had spread out on the hood of the car.<p>

"Sounds good. We'll be back in LA by early afternoon." Kensi was about to get in the driver's door when she hesitated. "How about you drive us home?"

"Why not?" Deeks caught the car keys one-handed.

"There's just one thing: if you ever tell Callen or Sam anything about this, I'll kill you," Kensi said, meaning every single word. "Believe me on that." They would never believe that they had slept together and only slept. She didn't believe it either. Kensi knew she'd be kicking herself for weeks voer the missed opportunity.

"If you tell them, I'll kill myself." Deeks had never been more serious in his life. How the hell would he ever live it down if they knew he had slept with Kensi and not laid a finger on her?

"As long as you understand."

"I understand perfectly. Partner."

Their eyes met and for a moment there was indeed complete and perfect understanding between them. They'd weathered the storm and ahead lay an open road and fair weather. And anything was possible. Anything could happen.

* * *

><p><em>once again there are no plot bunnies, no maims and no cliffhangers. I must be sickening for something...<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay - this was meant to be a one-shot. Honest. Only there was this little, sweet, adorable plot bunny who insisted there was more to be told._  
><em>So here it is.<em>

* * *

><p>It was no use. He couldn't sleep at all, and lying here in a hot tangle of sheets, sleep was the farthest possible thing from his mind. Deeks rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, wondering why Kensi was always on his mind, filling his mind, refusing to go away and staring at him uncompromisingly even in his dreams. And right now, he wanted her so much it hurt. There was no way he was going to sleep, no way at all.<p>

So, there were three choices: he could lie here and think about Kensi and how she drove him mad, going just a little bit more insane in the process and ultimately be left lonely and still aching; or he could go and stand under a cold shower, and then be horny, frustrated and frozen to the bone, which was equally unappealing; or he could just admit these was one of these white nights and stop fighting the inevitable. It wasn't much of a choice. Right now Deeks was fed up fighting: fighting his feelings and fighting her. And he was fed up with the complicated dance they seemed to be caught up in, the one where she knew all the steps and he was always half a beat behind and stepping on her toes into the bargain. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered. Kensi wasn't interested in him, she'd made that clear a thousand times. It was just sometimes, when she thought he wasn't looking, there was a look on her face, a look that was there for only a fleeting second, and then was gone just as quickly as it had come. But it was definitely there. And that just confused him even more. Why did life have to be so fucking confusing? Why did he have to have Kensi for a partner? Why couldn't they have met in some other life, away from work and all the needless complications? Deeks knew he'd screwed up many times before, but this was different. She was different.

Pulling on jeans and a shirt, Deeks wandered out onto his small balcony and leant on the railings, staring out into the darkness. There was no traffic at this time of night, so the murmur of the ocean was clearly audible, rhythmic and repetitive, the one constant in a world of turmoil.

"You are so screwed, Deeks."

He bent over until his head touched the chill metal of the railings. He'd been at a club earlier, had had it made, no doubt about it. And he hadn't followed through, because that damn song had come on and he'd thought of Kensi and suddenly it all just seemed so pointless, so pathetic. Just another meaningless encounter with a girl he'd never see again and didn't even want that much in the first place. _Can't Get You Out Of My Head_. Wasn't that the truth? He could have been lying in the arms of some girl, and here he was, standing out here alone in the middle of the night and thinking about Kensi. Again. It was no good, he wasn't going to sleep tonight. There was only one thing for it. Maybe this way he could finally get her out his head?

* * *

><p>Self-flagellation was not Kensi Blye's style. Beating herself up mentally was a whole different matter. She was good at that, but then she'd had a lot of practice.<p>

"You had it made," she informed her reflection. "It was right there and all you had to do was reach out. So what did you do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Great move."

Last night she'd been in this crummy motel room in the middle of nowhere, with Deeks. Her partner. The man who knew her better than anyone else and who could drive her mad quicker than anybody in the whole world. The man who had her back, who consistently put his own life on the line for her. The guy with the open face and the quick remarks, who had more secrets than anyone she had ever met. He would beckon her forward one instant, teasing and flirting, constantly challenging her, and then she would push him away the next. That was the way it worked. That was the way it had always worked. Right up until last night.

"This isn't working for me anymore," she confessed to the mirror.

Would it have been so very difficult to turn around to face him, to put her arms around him and to kiss him? They were two consenting adults, they were young, free and single: what possible harm could have come from such a simple move? They could have made love. He wanted to; she wanted to. So why hadn't she kissed him? What could possibly have gone wrong?

Simple: he could have said 'no'. He could have pushed her away. Deeks knew it was safe to flirt with her, because he knew that she would always push him away, literally and figuratively. That was how it worked, after all. That was what she had always done. The tables had never been turned, for the very good reason that Kensi was afraid. What if this really was just a game to Deeks? What if he just flirted with her out of habit? How could she go on working with him if he'd said no – or even worse, made love to her out of pity?

"He'd love that. It would be like a dream come true." Her mirror image looked sceptical. "Great, I can't even fool myself."

Kensi slammed her fist against the bathroom wall and stared at herself. "What am I going to do?" she whispered, knowing there was no way she could continue on like this. Just a few hours ago she had woken up in Deeks' arms and it had just felt so right, so amazingly, perfectly right. But there was nobody to answer her question. Nobody who mattered anyway. And she needed answers, to make some sense out of this whole mess. This game had gone on too long and there was too much at stake. She was going to find Deeks and make him do some straight talking. If she had to pin him down, physically force him to peel off that mask and just talk to her, putting aside all the pretences for once.

With Kensi, to think was to act. And if she thought about it too long or too deeply, then she wouldn't act at all. So she grabbed her car keys and ran out, slamming the front door behind her. He was a man, he was just a man – nothing to be scared off. He was Deeks, her partner. They trusted each other – so why couldn't they just damn well talk about things?

"Sometimes, for an intelligent woman, you can be really dumb, Kensi. Deeks – talk? Talk seriously Let that damn shield down? Yeah, right. This is Deeks and he's a man. Men don't do emotions. They're interested in one thing and one thing only. Especially Deeks."

If only it was that simple, then why hadn't she just gathered up her courage and made the first move? That way at least she would have had one night and then she wouldn't be in this mess right now. Kensi floored the accelerator. She'd let one chance slip away but she wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

* * *

><p>The track stretched out smoothly in front of him, a darker ribbon running between the pale, moon-bleached expanses of sand. Deeks was in a rhythm, running at a steady pace, just loping along with only the sounds of the ocean crashing onto the shore for company.<p>

"You should have done something. She was right there and you wanted to. So why didn't you?" This morning he'd woken up to find Kensi lying on his chest, her breasts had been pressed right against him. And he'd had to go and ruin everything by poking his damned morning erection into her thigh like some high school kid. And she'd been so cute, in that white tank-top and those panties… And that was getting him hard again all over…

If only he could escape from his thoughts. Coming out for a run had seemed like a great idea, but he'd been in such a rush that he'd left his IPod behind, so there was no escape. "Can't get you out of my head…" The words were ringing out in his head and his feet were pounding down in time to the beat, which just reinforced the thought.

If only Deeks could work out why he couldn't stop thinking about Kensi, then it might be easier to get over her, because nothing was going to happen. Nothing was ever going to happen, no matter how much he fantasised about her. He knew that, he'd always known that. And Kensi had at least been consistent in pushing him away. It wasn't as if she had led him on, or even given him the slightest bit of encouragement. So why couldn't he just admit defeat and move on?

"What are you, Deeks - some sort of sadist?" He knew that with Kensi he could look but not touch. There was a line and she had most definitely drawn it, making it clear that if Deeks ever crossed it he would be singing soprano – if he was lucky.

Kensi wasn't that great looking, she wasn't that hot. Not really. And okay, she was funny – but so were a lot of girls. She was a great partner though, a really great partner. Maybe the best partner he'd ever had. And he actually cared what she thought about him; that actually mattered to him. It mattered one hell of a lot. Now, if only Deeks could only work out what Kensi did think, then maybe he'd be able to sort out this whole mess. Then again, he could just keep running. Talk about being on a hiding to nothing. Deeks knew he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

He stopped running, threw his head back and yelled. A flock of sleeping seagulls protested angrily, flapping their wings at the unexpected disturbance and rising up into the sky in a screeching flurry of white.

Excellent. He'd managed to ruin their night too. The only possible consolation was that at least they'd not crapped on him. It probably wasn't to safe just to stand around waiting for the birds to return though: they'd looked pretty pissed. And actually, now that he'd stopped running, he realised that it was pretty cold. Which wasn't entirely surprising, given that it was the middle of the night. Deeks started to sprint back along the beach, in the vague hope he might get warmed up a bit and tire himself out at the same time. If only he hadn't heard those words, then he might be able to shake Kensi out of his head, chalk her down as one of these things that were never meant to be. Only he couldn't. She'd said it, and he couldn't forget it. He definitely couldn't get it out of his head. Sure, Kensi had been sound asleep at the time, but that didn't alter the fact that she'd said it and he'd heard. And he couldn't get it out of his head.

And suddenly there she was: right ahead. It was like he'd conjured her out of a dream or something, because Kensi was, on his beach, in the middle of the freaking night, just standing right in the middle of the track, her hands on her hips, hair blowing in the breeze and looking so damned fantastic it was untrue. And he was running like a lunatic, almost unable to stop, completely out of control which was pretty much par for the course.

"Story of your life, Deeks." He screeched to a halt and forced a smile onto his face. "Fancy meeting you here."

Kensi glared at him uncompromisingly. "We need to talk."

Just when Deeks thought that things couldn't get any worse, they did. Infinitely worse.

* * *

><p><em>Hmmm - so Kensi talks in her sleep... that was what the plot bunny whispered in my ear and I simply couldn't get it out of my head. So now you know.<br>More to come in due course, only Im feeling terrible today, with raging sinusitis._


	3. Chapter 3

Kensi glared at him uncompromisingly. "We need to talk."

Just when Deeks thought that things couldn't get any worse, they did. Kensi put out her hands protectively to ward him off as he stumbled forward and he just couldn't help himself. The words came out of his mouth before he had time to think.

"You want to talk about how you can't keep your hands off me?"

Kensi could feel the palm of her hand itching to smack him. "We need to talk about what happened last night."

"Nothing happened," he protested. "We both agreed that nothing happened."

"Exactly." She lowered her hands and let them hang loosely at her sides, looking as if the world had stopped making sense and she was lost and without direction.

"And we agreed that we wouldn't talk about it. Even though nothing happened." It seemed important that he emphasise that point, because Deeks was pretty sure Kensi was going to bring up the fact that he'd woken up with a hard-on. Which was not his fault. It was completely beyond his control. Plus, it was perfectly normal. Ask any guy, let alone one who'd spent all night lying chastely next to his incredibly hot partner. Really, he deserved a medal for not making a move last night. 'Above and beyond the course of human endurance' should just about cover it. And it certainly was not his fault that Kensi's thigh had somehow got between his legs, so that he was pressing up against her. Yes, she would bring it up and then beat him around the head with it. Only that metaphor had suddenly gone haywire and was creating the most obscene images in his mind.

"I've changed my mind. I want to talk about it."

Okay, he would never understand women, not if he lived to be a thousand. "But it was your idea in the first place."

"It was not. You spotted the motel."

"I meant the whole 'not talking about it' thing was your idea. That's another 'thing' we've got now, isn't it?"

"We do not have a thing. We never had a thing and we're never going to have a thing. Understand?"

Well of course he did. Not. Mainly because it was about as clear as mud. Marty got the feeling he should be grateful Kensi was spelling things out for him so succinctly. "Okay, so let me get things straight – you came out here, in the middle of the night, to say that you want to talk about the thing we agreed not to talk about? And to tell me that we don't have a thing?" His head was hurting just trying to work it all out and why it was so important to her.

"Exactly."

"But there's nothing to talk about – because nothing happened."

Kensi could feel her head spinning. "That's what I want to talk about, Deeks."

This was starting to make sense, in Bizarro world. He should have taken more drugs in college. "You said you didn't want to sleep with me."

"And yet I did. Sleep with you, I mean. And I say a whole lot of things. So why didn't you do anything?"

It was at this point that Deeks decided he was having one of those weird, looping nightmares, where you never quite knew if you were awake or asleep. He kind of hoped he was asleep. "Okay, so last night you made it clear that you'd disembowel me with a blunt teaspoon if I laid a finger on you and tonight you want to know why I didn't?"

It sounded completely mad when he put it like that, Kensi realised. She really wasn't thinking straight. "I don't know what I'm doing here. Standing on a beach in the middle of the night, freezing my ass off and having another pointless conversation with you."

So that made two of them, Deeks thought. "Nobody asked you to come out here. I was managing just fine."

"Running in the dark is so normal." Kensi took a step forward. "You couldn't sleep either, could you?"

"I could sleep now. I'm tired of all this. Only you want to talk, don't you? So go ahead – I'm listening."

God, it was freezing out here. The wind whipped straight through her jacket and Kensi hugged her arms around herself for warmth. And it would sound so stupid if she asked him why he hadn't made love to her last night, even though she'd done everything except wrap herself up in barbed wire. Coming here was so stupid – what had she been thinking of? Apart from the fact that he had looked insanely hot in those boxers… and that she was worried she'd missed the best opportunity of her life.

"Come on – what are you waiting for?" His voice was low, pitched at exactly the right cadence to invite confidences, and Deeks was standing looking at her, like he could see straight into her soul. "Look, last night there was just you and me. And I told you that you could trust me. Tonight – here we are, all over again. Just you and me. And you're mad at me, just like you were last night. Kensi – you can still trust me. But stop screwing with me. I'm only human."

"What the hell does that mean?" There was barely two feet between them, and Kensi knew she only had to reach out and she could touch him. That was all she had to do. She could make it right with one simple move. So why was she frozen in place?

"You want me to spell it out for you?"

There it was again, that smile. The cocky smile, mixed with a liberal dose of impudence, like he was so sure, so damned sure. Like he knew anything. Kensi held her ground and remained silent, choking back a response.

Deeks watched her struggling for a moment, and then took pity on her. "Okay, let's get right down to it. You wanted me to make a move last night and you're mad because I didn't."

"That's not what I meant at all. And you know it." Clearly, she was way off her game tonight, because this was not the way things were supposed to work out.

"Stop fooling yourself, Kensi, because you're not fooling anyone else." He had that look on his face again, the one where he thought he was so smart and knew everything. She knew every single look he had.

"You don't know anything, Deeks."

"Don't I, baby girl? I know that you want me and I want you. We both know it. Stop pretending."

"I don't want you. I never wanted you." Right now, Kensi didn't know what she wanted. She wasn't sure about anything anymore, least of why she was standing here talking to Deeks and getting nowhere. Okay – maybe she did know one thing: she wanted out of here, right now.

"You're forgetting one thing."

Okay, he was bluffing. He had to be bluffing. "And what would that be?"

"The small matter of a little something you said last night. When you told me you loved me."

If there was any justice in the world, an enormous wave would have swept him out to sea, there and then. "In your dreams, Deeks." Kensi put every ounce of scorn she could into the words.

"Yeah, I thought that at first. That I was dreaming, I mean. Only it turns out I was wide awake and you were the one dreaming. And talking in your sleep."

Oh shit. She was dead in the water. Actually, that sounded pretty good right now – to be floating face down in the chilly water, and away from this hideous reality.

"So how about we talk about that, Kensi? And then we could go on and talk about why you want me to make the first move? How does that sound?" Deeks took a step forward, and almost closed the gap between them. He was so close that she could almost count the freckles on his nose, and could feel his breath on her face.

"I came here tonight." And all of a sudden it seemed like the most dangerous thing she'd ever done.

"So you did." Deeks pulled his hands out of his pockets and held them out.

"I came here to talk," Kensi prevaricated.

"We can talk." His palms were upturned, facing the dark sky and it would be so easy to take hold of them, to let herself be pulled into his arms. "We can do anything, Kensi, anything at all. But you've got to meet me halfway."

And what did she have to lose? There was no-one around, it was just Kensi and Deeks, and the wild open ocean and the promise of infinity. "We're partners. This could ruin everything." And she was terrified. Terrified of losing him.

Why did she have to be so logical, so sensible? "We're partners. We're already close. This is just taking things one step further. You can't deny the connection, Kensi. The first time we went out together, we made a commitment." If she didn't make a move soon, he was going to have to run into the ocean and let the frigid water do its thing. "This is you and me, Kensi. Just like it always is."

"You and me, Deeks," she said slowly and then smiled. "Just like it was meant to be." And then she took that fatal step forward and put her hands on top of his, looking him straight and steady, as if she was seeing his face for the very first time.

"You know it."

And suddenly this beach, even with the overcast sky and the chilly wind was about the most romantic place in the world. She just had to know one thing, and then Kensi might give in to the temptation.

"But let's get one thing straight." She tilted her head slightly, and bit her bottom lip provocatively, loving the reaction that caused.

"Okay." His fingers tightened around her wrists.

"I did not say 'I love you'. Did I?" Kensi's fingers also tightened, so that they were gripping onto one another for dear life.

"Maybe not those exact words," Deeks admitted, dropping his gaze.

"I knew it!" Kensi pulled her arms up sharply and then jerked them out to the sides, loosening his grip enough to be able to wriggle free. "You just can't help yourself, can you, Deeks? Just when I think I'm seeing the real you, you have to go and ruin everything. You nearly had me going there, you stupid, shallow, selfish bastard." She turned and started to stalk back to her car, but there was a hand on her arm, pulling her back with a relentless force.

"Don't walk out on me." Deeks turned her around, holding her shoulders so tightly there was no possible escape. "Listen to me, will you? Just give me a chance."

"Give me one reason why I should?" His fingers were digging painfully into her shoulders and in about ten seconds Kensi was going to kick him in the shin and then follow it up with a knee exactly where it hurt most.

"Because last night you called me Marty. You said 'Aw Marty, I love you.' That's why. You weren't talking about your partner, Deeks. You were talking about me, about Marty. So will you listen to me now?"

And she was lost, floundering, and totally powerless to stop him when his hand moved to run slowly down the side of her cheek.

"This is so real, Kensi. Let's not pretend any more. This is Kensi Blye and Marty Deeks and to hell with everything else." Nothing else mattered. She got to him in a way no other woman ever had, got to him on some deep, visceral level that made it hard to think straight.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Kensi leant in to his touch and drew one finger softly across his lips, smiling as he opened his mouth and let his teeth rake against it for just a second.

"I know." God knows, he hadn't planned it like this. "But it is."

And sometimes you just had to accept the inevitable, because resistance really was futile. Call it destiny, pre-ordination – call it whatever the hell you wanted – when it came right down to it, who really cared? Tonight was all about two people who had suddenly discovered they had no reason to fight any more and every reason to come together.

"So it is." Kensi put her hand on the nape of Deeks' neck and pulled his head close. "So kiss me."

* * *

><p><em>Slushy and randy plot bunnies have both run into the ocean to cool down... I do hope they can swim.<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm just overwhelmed by the incredible reaction this story has got. So many thanks to everyone who has reviewed and added story and author alerts._

* * *

><p>Deeks' arms were around her waist, fingers tightly interlaced and he pulled her in close, so that it felt as if their bodies were touching right along their length, even Kensi tilted her head slightly to one side and watched as he copied her action. There was a moment when their lips were just fractionally apart, slightly parted, and their eyes locked together in silent communication.<p>

"It's okay," he whispered, and then Kensi saw his lashes flutter down and felt the soft whisper of his stubble brush against her lips. And then her eyes were shut too and her lips were meeting his, returning the pressure and then opening as the kiss deepened.

It was more than okay. It was the sort of kiss Kensi had dreamt of a thousand times, only to wake up disillusioned and alone. It was long and deep and hard; and it was soft and gentle; and it was a thousand other things, all of them wonderful. Her head was spinning and her stomach was fluttering and her heart felt incredibly full.

"That was worth waiting for." She felt warm and safe and more turned on than seemed possible. If this was how he could make her feel after just a kiss and a hug, Kensi hardly dared imagine how she would feel when he really touched her.

"You reckon?" Deeks pulled her in still closer, as if he was trying to meld their bodies together; one hand now pressed against her shoulder blades, and Kensi could feel the warmth of his touch even through her jacket. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

"So why don't you show me what you've got to offer?" His head jerked up at that, even as his hips ground momentarily into hers and Kensi knew without a shadow of a doubt that Deeks was ready for action.

"Don't play games anymore, Kensi. Not now." And the look in his eyes could have broken her heart, had she been minded that way. The look was open and frank, and yet it seemed to hint at a world of broken dreams and disillusionment.

"I'm not playing games." Kensi's hands were on either side of his face and she kissed him lightly on the lips. "No more games, I promise. And, now we've got that sorted out, how about we go somewhere warmer? I'm freezing out here." She shivered dramatically and then smiled at him imploringly.

"My apartment's just across the road." So they should probably take things slowly. So what? He'd been waiting for this minute for nearly 18 months, which had to be a world-record for foreplay, even if it had been 90% verbal, 9% mental torture and only 1% physical. It had been 100% fun though. But right now, Deeks knew that he wanted Kensi with a desperate urgency, that he was literally aching for her and that he wanted all of her, every single inch of her; wanted to wrap himself around her body and kiss every single inch and then sink inside her.

"So it is." Kensi felt as if she was on fire, burning up from within and she was consumed with the memory of how good that kiss had been and the thought of what his touch would feel like upon her naked body. The prospect of skin meeting skin, one body gliding silkenly over another as they cast off outward appearances and opened up to one another so that there could be no more secrets was incredibly alluring, and just thinking about it was turning her on even more, if that was possible. It was getting to the point where she seriously doubted if she'd manage that short journey to Deeks' place. If only it had been a little warmer, Kensi might very well have just torn his clothes off there and then and ignored the fact that making love on a beach meant that sand got into the most inconvenient places.

"Come on then." What were they waiting for? They'd waited too long already: in a couple of hours the sun would start to rise and they would have to part and go to work. Two hours wasn't nearly long enough to even start to think about all the things Deeks had planned, all the things he had dreamt of doing with Kensi a thousand times

Six months ago he had stopped sleeping over after a casual encounter, ever since the time he'd whispered "Morning, Kensi," without thinking. He'd got a hearty whack in the mouth after that little faux pas. But they had this morning and they could have tonight, and the next night, and the night after that. The possibilities stretched out into infinity, even as he wondered if there would ever be time enough to make love to Kensi in the myriad of ways he wanted to, to make love to every part of her, as she deserved. He'd give it his best shot though. And then some. Breaking away, he held out his hand.

Kensi hesitated for just a second, knowing that now there cwould be no going back, that this was the final step, the last chance to come to her senses. But she didn't want to go back, she wanted to go forward – and to go forward with Deeks: her partner, her friend, and her soon to become lover. So it was the easiest, most natural thing in the world to put her hand in his and to go forward together. They started to walk back across the sand, not speaking and almost trembling with anticipation.

"Damn!" Bad timing was not the word for it. Kensi was aware of a stream of invective coming from Deeks as she pulled out her cell and stared at the screen in disbelief. "Report in? At this time of the morning?"

"That bloody woman." Deeks had an equally incredulous look on his face as he read the message on his own cell. "It's like she's got second sight or something."

"We've got to go." It wasn't like they had a choice. Knowing Hetty, she probably had their GPS positions highlighted and had already worked out the optimum time of arrival. Kensi fired off a quick text in response.

"I know." And it just about killed him to admit it. Deeks typed in 'On way' and sent of the message before he was tempted to add anything more.

"Later?" Kensi gestured to where her car was parked.

"Later. Definitely." Deeks looked regretfully up at his apartment, slipped his arm around her waist and silently called Hetty every name under the sun.

"How about you drive?" Kensi offered.

"Really?" This made it twice in two days. Clearly, he should have slept with Kensi a long time ago.

"Baby, you can drive my car."

That was it. That was exactly why he loved her: because she was funny, she kept him on his toes and she was so damned hot she was smoking. "Whatever this shout is, we get it wrapped up quickly. Agreed?" Deeks wanted to get back here in record time. Actually, he didn't want to leave at all, but he had a healthy fear of Hetty.

"Agreed. And then we take up exactly where we left off." Kensi wasn't sure she'd be able to concentrate on anything except him today. There was only so much you could expect of a person.

"That's a date." Coitus interruptus really sucked, whether in latin or English.

* * *

><p>"How nice of you two gentlemen to turn up." Hetty looked as impeccably neat as ever. Deeks seriously doubted if she ever slept, or did any of the things that mere mortals did. Hetty had probably come into the world, fully formed and wearing a tailored two piece suit with a neckscarf and glasses.<p>

Callen and Sam looked at their team mates in considerable confusion. "How come you guys made it here so fast?"

"Devotion to duty?" Deeks suggested. "The siren call of Hetty awakened me and I was powerless to resist."

"And Kensi just happened to be in the neighbourhood to give you a lift?" Callen was beginning to sense all was not quite as it seemed. Deeks was dressed (if you could call it that) as if he'd been out running and Kensi seemed uncharacteristically distracted. Plus, there was no sign of Deeks' car in the garage. Something was rotten in the state of California.

"So she stalks me? Can I help that?"

For one moment Kensi felt a flush of indignation and then she remembered that this was how Deeks always acted. If he suddenly changed, Sam and Callen would be instantly suspicious. "In your dreams, Deeks."

"Oh you are, Kensi, you definitely are," he assured her.

Hetty cleared her throat. "If we could focus our attention on the case in hand. If that's not too much to ask?"

"It would be easier if I could have some coffee." Deeks tried his best to look appealing and Hetty's face actually seemed to soften slightly.

"Why don't we just hook you up to an IV?" Sam suggested.

"That would take away all the pleasure. There's that moment of anticipation, when you know what's coming, but you kind of delay the fulfilment. You inhale slowly, savouring the scent and then just when it gets unbearable, you take a long sip, and all the aromas seem to explode in your mouth and then, only then does it hits exactly the right spot." Deeks sighed happily and then caught sight of the expressions of their faces. "What? So I really like coffee. That's all."

"Go tell that to the Marines," Callen suggested. Deeks wasn't talking about coffee, he was talking about sex. That settled it: he had definitely been up to something when hetty called them in, no doubt about it. There was probably some poor girl left in his apartment, weeping in frustration.

"There's one Marine who won't be able to listen." Eric flashed up a picture onto the screen and Hetty began to run through the details as they absorbed the details of the catastrophic head injury, the blood-stained snow and the eyes staring sightlessly up at the sky.

One thing resonated with Kensi in particular as Hetty gave the location details. Tahoe? Why did it have to be Tahoe? There was no way they could get up Tahoe, work the case and get back to LA in one day. Hell fire and damnation. Was Hetty doing this on purpose?

"Mr Callen: you and Mr Hanna can go up to Tahoe directly. Ms Blye and Mr Deeks will have to make a detour via Sacramento."

"Not that I've got anything about Sacramento, but why?" Kensi wondered if Hetty was adding insult to injury on purpose. She couldn't know what had nearly happened – could she?

Hetty smiled enigmatically, as was often her wont. "Because that is where you and Mr Deeks are getting married, of course."

Deeks had often suspected that Hetty might be a witch, but now he knew for certain.

* * *

><p><em>Randy plot bunny says that delayed gratification is cruel and unusual punishment. I've tried to explain that it is called "heightening the sexual tension" but he's having none of it. Evil plot bunny just wants more dead bodies.<em>


	5. Chapter 5

"Married?" Kensi said, carefully not looking at her partner, but completely certain that he was doing something outrageous. "To Deeks?"

"Married," Hetty confirmed. "You're going to be posing as a newly married couple, spending their honeymoon to Tahoe, so you have to be married." It almost sounded reasonable, the way she put it. Almost – but not quite. "I've made the arrangements with the judge. All you have to do is turn up at 2pm and then have your photographs taken outside."

"The judge is in on this, isn't he?" Part of Deeks could never forget that at one time he'd been a lawyer, even if it had only been for a brief period of time.

"She is, Mr Deeks." Hetty looked at them. "And Mr Beale has prepared the necessary documentation under your assumed names. You didn't think I was proposing you actually married Ms Blye, did you?" She looked at them carefully. "Not unless you want to, of course. Do you?" It was hard to tell if she was teasing them or not.

"Marry Deeks?" Kensi gave a hollow laugh. "Please, Hetty." Yesterday, the day before even, she would have said more, and said it with considerable vehemence, but things were different now. And she had high hopes that they were about to become different still. What did it matter if they made love for the first time in LA or in Tahoe? All that mattered was that tonight was going to be the night.

"It wouldn't be that bad. You'd get to be Monty's step-mommy," Deeks said with a winning smile.

"Hold me back."

"And Deeks could be heir to a lifetimes' supply of Twinkies and more Michael Buble CDs than you know what to do with."

"Believe me: one Buble CD is one too many."

Callen tried to analyse their body language, and found it raised more questions than it gave him answers. They were virtually mirroring one another, both standing with their arms folded across their bodies, and carefully not making eye contact. Suspicious, very suspicious indeed. He'd been down that road before, living with his partner as a married couple and he knew exactly how dangerous it could be. No matter how many good intentions you had in the beginning, in the end someone ended up with their heart broken. Hetty was treading a dangerous path here and the relationship between Kensi and Deeks was volatile to begin with. Sometimes Callen could almost see the sexual tension crackling in the air between them. So far, Kensi had always defused it, but he was beginning to wonder if things had changed.

Kensi was still concerned and felt she had to make at least a token protest. "Who in their right mind would go on honeymoon to Tahoe?" This was maybe taking things rather too far, rather too fast. She wanted Deeks – but she wanted him on her terms, not Hetty's forcible pseudo marriage. Although it did afford certain opportunities, now she came to think about it.

"Because there's great skiing." Deeks was noticeably . enthused about the prospect.

"Kensi asked 'who in their right mind'," Sam pointed out. "Skiing isn't exactly most people's idea of a romantic honeymoon."

"Really?" Okay, maybe the actual skiing wasn't that romantic – more like exhilerating, but it did make you feel alive and ready for anything, what with the adreline rush you got from the speed of shooting down a really dangerous run. And then there was the after-ski, the cosy lodges with log fires, relaxing in a Jacuzzi after a long day on the slopes and drinking glasses of wine by candlelight as the snow fell down outside. Deeks felt like dropping down on his knees and kissing Hetty. This had to be the best assignment ever, and her timing could not have been more perfect.

"I don't ski," Kensi said flatly.

"Really?" Deeks seemed to be especially fixated on that word today and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Really. And you do, I suppose?"

Deeks looked at her blankly. "Well yes, of course I ski. And snowboard." He said it as if snow sports were to humans what swimming was to ducks.

"There's no 'of course' about it."

Eric coughed discretely. "I think you'll find there's a lot of similarities between surfing and snowboarding, Kensi." He tried not to wince when she glared at him.

"Thank you for that helpful contribution, Eric. Anyway, it doesn't alter things: like I said, I don't ski. And I don't surf either." And from her tone of voice it was perfectly evident that Kensi was more than happy with that state of affairs.

"I'm sure Mr Deeks could provide you with some personal instruction." There was a decided twinkle in Hetty's eyes.

"There are so many things I'm looking forward to teaching you, Kensi." Deeks' eyes were shining with anticipation. "Like why you need to get some silk underwear."

"Hetty!" Kensi turned to their boss. "Make him understand this is just is just a pretend honeymoon and that nothing is going to happen!"

Callen got the distinct idea that Kensi was protesting for the sake of it.

"Kensi, the best underwear – and I'm talking about long-sleeved undershirts and long-johns here – for skiing is made out of silk." Deeks gave her a long-suffering look and Sam realised that he was enjoying himself hugely.

"Mr Deeks is quite correct, my dear. Silk is very fine, and also has quite remarkable thermal properties."

"You want to wear lots of thin layers," Deeks continued, and had this compelling vision of peeling said layers off Kensi, very slowly indeed, that made it hard to concentrate.

"You'll need this." Hetty handed Kensi a credit card. "Make sure you get at least two ski outfits, a proper jacket and some boots. Snow boots and ski boots," she amplified. "And don't forget to bring back the receipts."

"Want me to come help you chose?"

"The trousseau's supposed to be a surprise, Deeks."

"I can't wait." There was no doubting the sincerity in his voice. This was going to be like Christmas come early: just him and Kensi, amidst all the snow – and on official time too. He was actually getting paid for doing this. What could possibly be better?

"What about Deeks?" Callen asked. "What's he going to wear?"

Deeks hoped he'd be wearing his birthday suit and nothing else. "I've got ski stuff," he said vaguely.

"Smart ski clothes, I hope?" Hetty asked, with the emphasis very definitely on smart. It seemed rather unikely, somehow. "Your cover is that you are a wealthy young lawyer, who has just eloped. You'll need to live up to that background."

A smile winged its way across Sam's face. "They're eloping? Don't tell me: Kensi's parents objected to the marriage?"

"It's the other way around. Mr Deeks' family are concerned that Ms Blye, who works as a hostess in a night club, is after her fiancés family money. So make sure those ski-suits are eye-catching, my dear." Hetty was sure this particular background would give them ample scope to make a mark in Tahoe.

Deeks tried to curb his enthusiasm at the prospect of Kensi in an array of colourful skiwear. "You want to give me one of those cards too, Hetty? My gear's kind of old and past its best." And this way he could get it all replaced, courtesy of NCIS. This job was getting better by the second. "I could pick us both up skis while I'm at it? And a board too?" He just hoped he wasn't pushing his luck too far.

Hetty seemed to buy it without a murmur and produced another card with only a slight sigh at how much this was all going to cost.

"What about our car?" If you couldn't beat them, then you might as well join them, Kensi thought. "We're going to need something really special." She smiled loving at her partner. "Because we're worth it. And he's rich," she added, almost as an afterthought.

"They are not getting my Aston Martin," Callen said warningly

"Of course not." Hetty's tone of voice was infinitely soothing. "I've got something much more suitable in mind."

* * *

><p>"I have officially died and gone to heaven." A low whistle escaped from Deeks' lips and he ran one hand lovingly over the roof of the car.<p>

"A Bentley?" Hetty was really pulling out all the stops today, Kensi thought. Her shopping trip had been surprisingly expensive. Tacky snow wear didn't come with a cheap price tag.

"It's not just any Bentley. This is a Bentley GTC Continental." For a guy who professed to have absolutely no interest in cars, Deeks suddenly seemed surprisingly knowledgeable al of a sudden. "Sex on four wheels."

"Would you stop talking about sex?"

"Why? We're going on our honeymoon – or have you forgotten, Kimmie?" He leered cheerily at her.

"We're not even married yet. And my name's Kim, okay?"

"I just don't see you as a Kim."

"Then we're equal. I don't exactly see you as a Robert. You look more like a Bobo to me."

"Whatever floats your boat." Deeks seemed entranced by the car, and reached out for the keys.

"Bring it back in one piece," Hetty cautioned. "And be careful."

"Hetty, you can trust me. We won't do anything you wouldn't do." Which left them ample room for just about anything, Deeks thought.

"I was referring to the fact I would like to see you both come back here without any no broken limbs." Hetty was beginning to wonder if this had been such a good idea after all. But what choice did she have? A Marine had been spending the weekend skiing at Tahoe with his girlfriend, only to be found bludgeoned to death, and with a large quantity of cocaine in his system. And there was a large quantity of ammunition missing from his base. This was the best possible chance they had of finding out who the killers were. She watched as the Bentley left the Mission with considerable unease in her heart.

"Do you think they guessed?" Deeks pulled out in the traffic and started the journey towards Sacramento.

"No way. We acted just like we always do." Kensi stretched out luxuriously in the leather seat, looked around the interior of the car and sighed happily. "We need to get ourselves some proper transportation on a more regular basis. Why should Sam and Callen get all the perks?"

"They don't get all the perks. They don't get to work with you." Deeks took an appreciative look at his partner, who had translated her character as wearing tight-fitting, low cut clothes that left nothing to the imagination. It was certainly making his own imagination go into overdrive.

"You say the nicest things." She reached across and let her hand rest on his thigh, smiling as he gave an involuntary jump, followed by a curse as the car veered to the left.

"I always did." Deeks raised an apologetic hand to the driver behind. "You just weren't listening carefully enough." He tried to concentrate on driving, but it wasn't easy with Kensi's hand being where it was.

"I'm listening now." Kensi let her hand drift up a little higher. "So why don't you start talking?"

"Talking?" If there was one way to scare a man, it was to ask him to talk about deep things. Sure, Deeks had opened up on the beach, but that had been different. And talking in the dark, after you'd made love, that was different again. But just talking?

She pitched her voice a couple of tones lower than normal. "How about you tell me about all the things we're going to do?" As Kensi watched, Deeks' Adam's apple jumped in his throat as he swallowed convulsively.

"How about you just wait until I can show you?"

"That works for me." And we can talk afterwards, she thought. Maybe lying in front of an open fire, with the scent of pine needles and wood smoke, wrapped in each others arms. Her fingers tightened involuntarily, and Deeks let out an anguished yelp as the soft skin of his inner thigh was pinched remorselessly.

"That hurt!"

"Sorry, I was miles away." Kensi patted the abused area tenderly. "How about I promise to kiss it better later on?"

"I'm going to hold you to that." Deeks put his foot down and let the Bentley show what it was capable of. They couldn't get to Tahoe a moment too soon.

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><p><em>the plot bunnies are all very excited about being snow bunnies. Luckily they have nice furry coats to keep them warm.<em>


	6. Chapter 6

"Kensi and Deeks get a luxury lodge, with an outdoor hot tub and we get… this?" Sam looked round the somewhat spartan hotel room in disgust.

"It's the height of the ski season," Callen reminded him. "We were probably lucky to get this. And we're not undercover as a pair of lovebirds on honeymoon."

"You wouldn't know that from the bed." There had only been one room available that fell within the agreed federal budget for overnight accommodation, and that room had one bed and one bed only. It was the type of bed that was designed for two people who liked to sleep very close to one another. They'd have to toss for it, and the loser would get the chair.

"Don't worry – I can resist you." Callen wouldn't even have to restrain himself.

"How come they're suddenly the golden couple?" First the Bentley, then the clothing allowances - and now the accommodation.

"You not feeling the love? Jealous that the new baby has displaced you in Mommy's attentions?" He had a point though. They were Callen and Sam: the dream team. The top dogs. He was ying to Sam's yang and together they were unbeatable. Kensi and Deeks were – well, they were Kensi and Deeks, weren't they? Lady and the tramp. The girl and the goofball. Only now, the polarities had been subtley altered and it wasn't altogether comfortable. "It's a good cover story," he said, and wondered if that sounded as lame as it felt.

"We could have come in as a pair of high rollers."

"Yeah. We could have. Mr Carl strikes again." That had been a great alias.

"Who's going to buy Deeks as a hot-shot lawyer?"

"He was a lawyer," Callen reminded him. "He passed the bar exam and everything."

"They can't have set the bar very high." Sam grimaced. "Scrub that. Scrub it all. I'm not jealous."

"No? Are you sure about that?"

"Maybe a bit. About this much." Sam held his thumb and forefinger about two inches apart. "They're the next generation, aren't they? Coming snapping at our heels."

"They'll never be another us, Sam. We're one of a kind." Callen thought that probably came out wrong.

"And I thought you didn't care. What are you trying to say, G? That we'll always have Tahoe?"

"Something like that."

There was something nagging away at the back of Callen's mind: something about Kensi and Deeks that he couldn't quite put his finger on. If he didn't know better, he'd almost be tempted to say that they were involved. But that would never happen: Kensi had made it clear a thousand times or more that she was not attracted to Deeks. And anyway, it was suicide to get involved with your partner: not only career suicide, but personal suicide as well. When these things fell apart – and they always did, in his experience – then everything fell apart. It would never happen, though, so there was no need to worry. Kensi was focused and there was absolutely no way she would throw away everything she'd worked so hard for.

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><p>It had been a long day, made even longer by the fact that she'd had next to no sleep the night before and by the time Kensi stumbled up the steps of the lodge she was dead on her feet. Only Deeks' hand under her elbow stopped her from tripping and falling her length on the slippery stairs.<p>

"It's well below freezing." He sniffed the frigid air appreciatively. The sky was clear and the stars seemed to shine a good deal more brightly than in LA. This was the sort of weather that made a man feel alive. It was only a pity that it seemed to be having the opposite effect on Kensi, who was yawning in a manner that suggested she very well might dislocate her jaw.

"How about you go and have a lie down, and I'll get the fire started?" Deeks suggested magnanimously.

"Sounds good to me." Kensi stumbled into the lodge and made straight for the bedroom, as if she had some sort of built-in homing beacon, he thought admiringly and took the time to look around properly.

Hetty had blown the budget this time, no mistake about it. It was almost dark outside, but when Deeks wandered over to the floor to ceiling windows that led out onto a massive deck, he could see enough to make out an incredible panoramic view that looked straight down to the lake below, and was framed by tall pines. The rest of the room was equally impressive: pale leather sofas and a huge fieldstone fireplace, soft lighting and a sound system that would not have been out of place in a stadium concert. There was also a huge plasma TV, but somehow Deeks didn't think that he and Kensi would be watching much television. He had much better things on his mind. However, first things first, so he knelt down and started to build up a bed of kindling. Long years of hiking and then camping out meant that within a few minutes there was a fire crackling away merrily in the grate.

Okay, that was the first priority taken care of. The next was blindingly obvious:coffee. And, joy upon joys, there was a Gaggia machine in the kitchen, along with a grinder for the beans and a generous supply of espresso-roast beans. This assignment just kept getting better and better. Two cups of espresso later, and Deeks was up and running on all four cylinders. Who needed sleep when you had high-octane coffee? Which gave him an idea…

"Kensi?" The bedroom was dark, but he could hear the soft sound of regular breathing. It didn't seem like she was going to be wanting a cup of coffee any time soon. Padding carefully across the floor, Deeks fumbled for the bedside light and saw that Kensi appeared to have just discarded her coat on the floor and then collapsed on top of the covers. The lodge had a great heating system, but the temperature outside was dropping steadily.

"This is so not how I'd imagined undressing you," he whispered, pulling off her boots as gently as possible and then placing them neatly at the side of the bed. A quick look in the wardrobe revealed a couple of thick blankets, so he took one and laid it over her sleeping form, tucking it in carefully before turning out the light.

Deeks stood watching her for a long time, admiring the way she slept with such intense concentration that all his ministrations had passed unnoticed. He felt like he could have watched her forever, just looking at her face, unguarded and suddenly vulnerable in sleep. Bending down, he kissed her forehead with the utmost tenderness.

"Sweet dreams, princess."

So his own dreams would have to wait. Deeks had already waited a long time for this and he could do patient. He could wait a bit longer. What was it Saint Augustine had said? Something along the lines of "Give me chastity and continence – but not now, Lord: not now." Deeks could relate to that. He could wait a little bit longer. He just hoped he didn't have to wait too long because he didn't know if could stand that.

Kensi awoke with a violent start from a highly disturbing dream; one in which Deeks had been insisting that she had been an Egyptian princess in a former life. That had been quite cool, but then he had started to wrap her up in bandages, like a mummy. And then when Kensi awoke, she couldn't move and for a few seconds she had that heart-pounding panic when it was impossible to tell what was real and what was not. Eventually, she managed to untangle herself from the confines of the blanket and sat up, pushing her hair off her damp forehead.

"Nice gesture, Deeks, but you don't have to swaddle me next time."

The fire was roaring away cheerily in the living room, but there was no sign of Deeks. Until she looked out through the windows and saw lights shining on what appeared to be a deck.

"I know you like to be out in the open air, Deeks, but this is ridiculous. And if you catch pneumonia, I am going to kill you."

The lights were set into the floor of the decking, sending up a subdued glow and Kensi could see the steam rising up from the hot tub and the sheen of Deeks' hair shining against the winter night sky. He was sitting in the hot, bubbling waters, head bent so that his wet hair flopped down over his face, both arms outstretched on the edges of the tub. She stopped for a moment, admiring the way the shadows defined his muscles. Opening the door as silently as possible, she stepped out and felt the chill air instantly and smelt the resinous scent of the pine trees that surrounded the lodge. Los Angeles had never seemed farther away. As she moved closer, Kensi could see beads of moisture on Deeks' arms, and the fact that water had stuck his eyelashes into starry points, surprisingly dark against the tan of his face.

"I can hear you." Deeks raised his head and smiled sleepily at her. "Why don't you join me?"

"It's freezing." Kensi shivered dramatically.

"The water's not. It's gorgeous."

Deeks stretched lazily as if to make the point, the water lapping against his chest and Kensi found herself drawn irresistibly forward, so that she was standing right beside the tub. How come she'd never noticed what great pecs he had before?

"Come on, Kensi." He raised wide blue eyes up towards her, eyes that seemed both tender and welcoming and then stretched out his hand.

Kensi hesitated for just a second, just long enough to take a deep breath, and then took hold of it, interlacing his fingers with her own.

"I'm coming, Deeks. Don't rush me." She kissed him full on the lips and stood back up and began to slowly unbutton her shirt. This was Deeks. This was the man she wanted more than she'd ever wanted anybody before in her life.

"I guess this is our wedding night." His eyes were watching her fingers with avid attention.

"I guess it is." She was being deliberately slow, prolonging the moment.

"Is it going to be our lucky night?"

"What do you think?" She had finally finished unbuttoning the shirt and it slipped slowly off her shoulders.

"I think it already is." Deeks looked at Kensi standing there, her skin glowing in the dim light.

"So do I." Kensi reached down to unbutton her jeans, but Deeks was there before her, a warm wet hand placed over her own.

"Why don't you let me take care of that?" He kissed her stomach tenderly and then looked up, as if asking for permission.

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><p><em>Slushy plot bunny says he wants a hot tub too.<em>  
><em>Randy plot bunny says he just wants to see some hot KD action.  
>As regular readers will know, I am rather partial to wet Deeks. Wet, naked Deeks that is.<em>


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay - hang onto your hats people, because here it comes..._

_In case it isn't obvious, this chapter contains adult content. So proceed at your own caution. _

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><p>Kensi was beginning to feel as if she had lost the power to think coherently. Well that wasn't quite true: she could think about how good Deeks looked in the moonlight, how his eyes had never looked bluer and how she wanted to run her hands through his hair and then all over his body. But this was insane. Completely and utterly insane. This was Tahoe: they were thousands of feet above sea-level, there was snow on the ground and every time she breathed out she could see her breath coalesce in front of her. And yet she was standing her in her bra and proposing to let Deeks take off her jeans? She must be mad. Mad with lust? Probably. What other reason could there be?<p>

"How about we go inside?" she suggested. "Where it's warm?"

"It's warm in here." Deeks waved his free hand back and forward invitingly in the water. He seemed to be impervious to the fact that his arms and torso were covered in gooseflesh.

"It would be warmer in front of the fire. And we could come back out here… later." She caught herself just in time, having been about to say 'afterwards'. That just seemed a little too presumptuous "Please, Deeks? I'm freezing here."

Deeks realised that she was actually shivering, not just putting on an act and immediately felt contrite.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think." And that was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He'd only been able to think about how amazing she looked and how this all seemed just a little bit too good to be true. Kensi was standing there in her bra - for his eyes only? Deeks had always known she had great breasts, it was one of the first things he'd noticed about her – along with the legs, the hair and the slightly haughty look that just seemed to spur him into saying the most outrageous things, just to get a reaction, to watch the mask slip for a second. It was like watching a thoroughbred racehorse transform into a raging tiger before his eyes and it never ceased to give him a kick. Yes, he'd always known Kensi had great breasts – he'd just never realised how mind-boggling great they were. And, now he looked at them more closely, he could see how cold she really was. Of all the ways to seduce someone, freezing her half to death had to rate pretty low.

He was out of the tub in a second and the heat from his body seemed to envelop her. For a moment Kensi lost herself in the sweet sensation of finally feeling his skin against her own, his arms so tightly wrapped around her that she could hardly breath, the sensation of feeling his heart beat and feeling the echoing thud of her own. She found that she was actually clinging to him, pressing his body to her own, and not just because she was cold but because she physically craved his touch.

"I got carried away," Deeks continued, guiding her back towards the lodge, his hand on the small of her back. "I didn't think."

Kensi realised that he was not only completely naked but he was also completely comfortable with that fact. In fact, Deeks was so unconcerned with his nudity it was as if they had known each other for ever and were old lovers who were just taking up where they had left off. And she felt the same way.

"Nature boy."

He crooked one eyebrow enquiringly. "Want to share?"

Oh, she wanted to share alright. She wanted to share one perfect night with him, a night spent really getting to know each other, finding out exactly what made the other person tick, their vulnerabilities. She wanted to stare into his soul and open herself up to him.

"Get that gorgeous body inside, Deeks – before your nuts turn blue." Kensi slapped him on his butt for good measure and then watched as he sauntered inside, clearly aware that her eyes were glued to his ass: taut and pert, just the way she liked it. Kensi couldn't think of a single thing about his body that she didn't like. If he looked great fully clothed – which she had to admit he did – then Deeks looked a thousand times better out of them.

As he walked towards the fire, Deeks noticed that his toes were a peculiar shade of blueish white and realised how completely stupid he'd been. There was only one possible reason – Kensi was driving him insane. He knew better than to stand around buck-naked in sub-zero temperatures , heck a five year old child knew that. But the warmth from the fire was starting to permeate his chill and when Kensi came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, he didn't even murmur the slightest protest as her cold body pressed against his back.

"You really are a complete idiot, you know that?" She was nuzzling at his neck, the lobe of his ear and her voice was low and husky and seemed to go straight from his ear down into his groin.

"It's all your fault. You've got me so I can't think straight." He could smell the perfume on her skin, the shampoo she used, even that crazy strawberry scented lip-gloss she loved. It felt as if his senses were going into overload.

"Oh good. That makes two of us." Kensi shivered again and Deeks pivoted, swinging her around so that her back was to the fire and he was facing her.

"You know what the best way to deal with cold is?"

She shook her head and then bit her lip as he kissed her collar bone, sucked gently and then kissing the spot once again.

"We need to share our body heat. Of course, it works best with naked bodies."

"I can work with that."

Deeks' hands were already undoing her bra strap and then easing the straps down off her shoulders so that when her breasts were finally revealed they were in his hands and he was sighing with pleasure and she was moaning at his touch.

They sank down onto their knees in unison, onto a rug that could not have been more fortuitously placed and Kensi felt as if she was being cushioned by the deep pile.

"I always knew you'd be nice to come home to." Deeks was gazing at her, as if really seeing her for the first time: the way the firelight sparkled in her eyes and drew out ruddy lights in her dark hair; the way her skin glowed with a tawny depth and the way her nipples tautened instantly at just the merest touch of his fingers.

"Shut up, Deeks." At last Kensi let her fingers tangle in his hair, as she had longed to do for so very long. Grasping hold of the longer layers at the back, she raised his head up just enough to be able to look into those eyes that seemed to hold a promise as old as time and as eternal as the stars. "Shut up and make love to me."

She raised her hips so that he could slide her jeans off and then wrapped her legs around his back, holding him close and seeking his mouth, feeling his lips linger on her own for a second that seemed to send bright lights flashing through her brain. And when she felt his tongue slip forward the lights seemed to implode.

"You taste amazing." Kensi tasted like all four seasons rolled into one and she felt even better. Like silk or satin.

His hand slipped inside her bikini panties and Kensi took a sharp intake of breath at his touch. "Slowly. Very slowly." She felt as if she had been waiting for this moment forever and it was even better than she had ever dreamt of. Electric flashes seemed to being pulsing at ever delicate movement.

"We've got all night." He moved away momentarily and then his other hand was under her ass, lifting it up and pulling away that last item of clothing, and then looking at her for the longest moment. "You really are so very beautiful." And then he kissed her again and his hands and his mouth were everywhere, roving all over. Deeks felt that he could drown in her beauty and die happy.

Okay, so Deeks talked too much. He always had and he probably always would. But he said all the right things and he did all the right things too and Kensi responded instinctively. How come he knew exactly where to touch her for the maximum impact, so that her flesh seemed to sing out and her brain whirled like some mad dervish and it became almost too much effort to remember to breath? All Kensi could think about was how good this felt, how right it felt. Her hands tightened around his back as Deeks kissed her again and again and again, moving from her lips to her neck and then to her breasts, even as Kensi arched her back and offered them up to his mouth.

"Deeks." It was a strangled gasp as his tongue encircled her nipple in a slow, almost lay motion that could drive a woman to crying out for more

"What?" He didn't even look up.

"Don't stop." Kensi's hands slithered down his back, warmed by the fire and cupped his ass, clenching her fingers around the firm muscles.

"I've hardly got started." Deeks rolled on his back, pulling her with him. "Don't be in such a hurry."

Kensi reached down and then smiled as she eased him into her hand. "And you're not?"

"Can I help it if you have that effect on me?" She watched intently as Deeks tried very hard to keep his face composed even as her fingers moved to encompass him. "And that's cheating." It was only by some superhuman effort that he managed to keep his hips still, when they wanted to buck like some mad bronco at her slightest touch.

"I could stop?" Kensi paused for just a second.

"Oh no. Definitely not."

He moved his fingers fractionally to slip inside her, feeling like he was entering warm velvet, feeling her tight around him. Deeks opened his eyes and saw that Kensi had a dreamy look on her face, as she started to move her hips in a circular motion.

"Now." Kensi's eyes snapped open and there was that tiger-fire again, burning bright. "I need you now, Deeks."

It would take a much better man that him to resist her and anyway, it was pretty much perfect timing. "Me too."

She was moving again, guiding him towards her, and exhaling in sudden surprise when he moved upwards. It took a herculean effort on Deeks' part to then be still, to let her grow accustomed to him before he started to move. He forced himself to take it slowly as they began to learn this new rhythm, first one leading, then the other and then finally moving together as if this was some dance embedded in primal memory. And then all thought of control flew away.

Deeks was unable to think coherently at all, unable to think about anything except that this was incredible – the way she looked, the way she smelt, the way she was wild and soft and very well might be in love, because he'd never felt like this before, not ever and what other reason could there be for feeling like this? And Kensi was above him, all around him and she was throwing back her head and screaming and he was completely lost, gasping out as she pulled him into her climax and he was tumbling head over heels.

Outside, the snow had begun to fall; fat white flakes floating down lazily from a heavy sky. Soon the pine branches would be heavily covered. Inside, the fire continued to cast a golden glow over the couple that lay on the floor, holding on to one another as if their very lives depended on it.

* * *

><p><em>Steamy enough? Even without the hot tub? Which is still waiting, in case you'd forgotten in all the excitement.<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_As requested, hot hot-tub action!_

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><p>After a while, Deeks managed to summon up enough energy to sit up and throw another few logs on the fire. In the process of doing so, he saw the outside lights were still on. And the night was still young.<p>

"I left a couple of bottles of beer out there," he mused. The kitchen had been incredibly well-stocked. It was almost as if they expected anyone renting this lodge wouldn't be going anywhere else. If this was how the rich lived, Deeks didn't want to leave – not ever. He had everything he could want right here. "It should be nicely chilled by now." He let his voice tail off beguilingly.

"I'm comfortable." Kensi rolled onto her back and smiled beguilingly. "And it's cold outside."

"We've got a hot tub." Deeks' voice was honeyed with persuasion. "How about a hot tub and cold beer? Or even a hot tub, cold beer and hot action?"

She perked up at that. "Now you're talking. Race you." Planting a hand firmly in the middle of his chest, Kensi sprang to her feet and pushed him back down as she sprinted out into the freezing night air and plunged into the hot tub with a resounding splash that sent water cascading onto the decking.

"I think I've just died and gone to heaven," Kensi sighed in rhapsody as she let her body sink slowly into the water. The contrast between the night air and the warm water dispersed any remaining languor, so that she suddenly felt invigorated and ready for anything. It was like getting into a gloriously hot bath, but with the added attraction of having the water jets bubbling away. Kensi eased her entire body under the surface of the water and complete relaxation begin to seep through her body.

"Bring me over a beer, will you?" She turned to watch as Deeks strolled outside, carrying a couple of towels.

"I never had you pegged for the modest type."

"You know me so well." Deeks dropped the towels down and then stretched lazily. She had never met anybody less self-conscious about his body in her entire life. "But I thought you might want a towel when you get out. For your hair, if nothing else."

"You're too kind. Mr Considerate himself. Now hand me a beer, will you?" Kensi stretched out a languid hand and then spluttered as Deeks pressed down firmly on top of her head, completely submerging her.

"I told you you'd need a towel for your hair, didn't I?" Deeks stepped into the Jacuzzi, settled himself comfortably and then took a long draught of beer. "Still thirsty? Or have you drunk enough?"

Kensi pulled her soaking wet hair out of her eyes. "What was that for?"

"Two words: Venice. Canal. Not quite so funny now, is it?" He'd waited a long time for payback for that. But the way one long tail of dark hair was curving into a comma just on the swell of her breast was beyond words. Plus, he liked the flash of danger in her eyes. He might not live long enough to be able to really appreciate it, but it was damn fine. Sometime you had to live dangerously and this was definitely one of those times, without a doubt. Tonight was all about throwing caution to the four winds and just living for the here and now. They could deal with the consequences tomorrow.

"Venice was a long time ago," she spluttered indignantly.

"True. But it was worth waiting for." Deeks reached out and his hand encountered wet, slippery flesh as Kensi tried to evade him.

"We've got to work tomorrow." Kensi had scooted across to the other side of the tub and then discovered the fatal flaw in that strategy, because she could go no further; her back was against the wall and while she could kick out with her legs, that didn't seem quite right. She didn't want to do anything that might preclude further engagement, or to be rather more crude about it - why would she bugger up the best thing she'd ever had? This was all about the chase – and she actually wanted to get caught. Which was why she wasn't exactly resisting capture.

"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps on this petty pace and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death." Or words to that effect. It was funny the things that sprung into your mind when you were trying to stay in control. Some guys declined Latin verbs; others mentally recited complicated mathematical tables, but Deeks had always resorted to those soliloquies he'd been made to learn off by heart at school, for a variety of misdemeanours. And now he was declaiming them out loud? Okay, Kensi had officially melted his brain. It might have something to do with the fact that her breasts were riding just above the water line and they were driving him insane.

"Have you been smoking something?" English literature had never been Kensi's favourite subject, but it sounded so sexy when he spoke like that. Sexy, but impenetrable.

Deeks just looked at her, and his eyes seemed impossibly blue. "Live for today, because tomorrow we die." He'd died a thousand times in her arms tonight and he would gladly die a thousand more deaths. La petite morte was just fine, because he would have died a happy man.

"Wow. You know how to sweet talk a girl." But actually, there was something in his eyes, an almost inexplicable look, that hinted of an ineffable sadness and that just made Kensi want to envelop him in her arms, pull his head down onto her shoulder and reassure him that everything would be alright, that together they could beat time.

Deeks shook his head in bemusement at his own loquacity. "Ignore that." This was getting way too personal, far too fast. How come Kensi had managed to pull down his defences in record time?

"Deeks?" Kensi looked at him curiously. "Come back to me." He seemed a thousand miles away.

"I'm right here."

And he was. He was right beside her and then his arm was around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. And then Deeks was moving and moving her with him, so that Kensi was floating through the ambient water towards him, as if she had no volition and was merely a feather on the wind, until her arms caught around his neck and her legs were moving to grip around his waist and she was clinging on to him as if her very life depended up it.

"Deeks?" Kensi's face was so close he could almost see right through her eyes into tomorrow. For so long he had been lying in the gutter but finally he was looking up at the stars.

"I'm right here," he repeated. "I'm with you all the way." And then his lips were on hers and his tongue was seeking hers.

Kensi shifted fractionally, almost infinitesimally at exactly the same moment as Deeks moved upwards towards her and she welcomed him, drew him deep inside with a deep sigh. It was as if she was him and he was her: they were one. And she was calling him home with a siren song that was impossible to resist. How could something that felt so right possibly be wrong? Deeks was right where he wanted to be – right where he had always wanted to be and where he was meant to be. He felt safe, and he felt loved. And he trusted her. He trusted her with his life and he'd gladly die for her, die a hundred thousand deaths and it would all be worthwhile. Because no matter what happened, he would have this memory: this one, singular, perfect memory of a stark night, when the temperature was enough to freeze the stars in their firmaments and the clouded moon cast an ethereal light and Kensi called him home, because she was the one. She had always been the one and she always would be: that was what made this night so perfect.

"When we get back to LA, I'm buying Hetty the biggest bottle of champagne I can find." Deeks moved his hand slowly down the length of Kensi's spine, from the nape of her neck down to the cleft of her buttocks. "Just to say thank you."

"What about me?" Kensi was still clinging to him, her ankles crossed behind his back.

"What about you? You're Kensi." And he kissed her again, as if to remind her that he could make the stars fall down from the sky. "You're Kensi," he repeated in tones of wonder, still almost unable to comprehend that he had finally found what he'd been searching for. "And you're the one."

"And you're Deeks. You're my someone. And we are what we are." For so long Kensi had been drifting aimlessly and then in an instant Deeks had given her a new purpose so that all the rest fell into sharp focus around their union, was clarified, amplified and given new meaning. And it made her wonder why she had been fighting against the unmistakeable attraction for so long, when it felt so very right. If there really was someone for everyone, then Deeks was the one.

The dark stars shone brightly in sky above two people who had been looking in all the wrong places and fighting so hard against the inevitable that their capitulation had been inevitable, almost predestined.

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><p><em>Copious apologies to Shakespeare and Robbie Williams for shamelessly plundering their great lines!<em>

_randy PB is now soaking wet but very, very happy!_


	9. Chapter 9

_So many thanks to everyone who has put this as a favourite story_

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><p>Kensi remembered the snow starting to fall from the dark night sky, and she remembered Deeks wrapping one towel around her body and another around her wet hair, and how cold the decking had felt beneath her feet. And she remembered that when they finally got into the bedroom, he had tenderly rubbed her hair dry. She had sat on the edge of the bed, while Deeks had knelt behind her and rang a brush slowly through the long length, easing out all the tangles with surprising skill, and she had leant back against him. It had been a long time since she had felt so protected, so cherished. It had been a long time since she had felt so complete. And of all the things about Deeks that had surprised her, it was his surpisingly tender care that rwas possibly the best. Finally, Kensi remembered making love with him, slow and sweet as they took their time to begin to discover one another, not speaking as their fingers and mouths said more than mere words ever could. Their bodies acted instinctively, seeking out a rhythm that seemed to be newly awakened and uniquely harmonic. They seemed to bring out the best in one another, chasing each other to orgasm and then tumbling chaotically. And falling asleep with Deeks arms around her made Kensi realise what she had been missing for far too long – the feeling of safety and security and absolute certainty.<p>

She remembered all this when she awoke the next morning, to find Deeks at her side, still sound asleep , and wearing that curiously unguarded expression again, so that it was as if layers had been peeled away and she was finally seeing the man behind the persona. There was something strangely compelling about watching him sleep, but the early morning sunshine reminded Kensi that no matter how much pleasure they had had last night, they were actually here to do a job.

"Deeks?"

There was no reaction. Absolutely none at all. The man could certainly sleep. But then, give the events of the past thirty-six hours, Kensi could hardly blame him. She leant closer and kissed him lightly, at the same time as letting her fingers dance just underneath his ribs, exactly where she now knew he was most sensitive. The twin sensations had the desired results: Deeks' eyes flew open, wide and round with surprise.

"Good morning!" Kensi said brightly, and then kissed him again. Just because he looked so utterly edible.

"Morning." Deeks blinked a couple of times, as if in surprise. "That's twice in three days."

"What is?"

"That I've woken up to find you in my bed."

"Our bed," Kensi corrected automatically.

"Our bed." He grinned at her. "I always knew we had a thing, and now we've got a bed too."

"Don't push it." There was something else pushing against her, something that felt very familiar. "Are you always like this? Every morning?"

Deeks thought about this question for a full minute still not fully awake, and then comprehension finally dawned. "That? That's nothing."

"No, it isn't. It most certainly is not nothing. It's definitely something." And it was stirring all sorts of emotions in Kensi.

A blush seeped into his skin. "Sorry. I just meant…"

"I know exactly what you meant. Why do you always have to talk so much, Deeks?" Feeling him against her made Kensi remember everything that had happened the night before and she wanted more. She let her hand run slowly down his back, edging over each individual vertebra and then slipping down between his buttocks to caress him, all the while staring deep into his eyes without blinking.

Deeks gulped convulsively. "Ah. Okay. Can you give me a minute?"

"Why?" From what Kensi could tell, he was more than ready. As was she.

"Sorry. Gotta pee." He leapt out of bed, like a scalded cat and dashed for the bathroom.

"Why do men have such lousy bladder control?" she called after him.

Deeks leant his forehead against the cool tiles. He felt like banging it in frustration, but decided it was better to concentrate on the job in hand. Literally. When he went back into the room, the bed was empty and he groaned in frustration. Until the smell of coffee floated through.

"You are possibly the world's most perfect woman. Mine's a double, by the way." He watched the coffee stream out, dark and fragrant. There was only one thing better than your first coffee of the day and she was standing right in front of him, sleep-rumpled and with slightly swollen lips that betrayed the passion of the night before.

"You only love me for my coffee." Kensi could have bitten her tongue off. What was she thinking of, mentioning the 'l' word? It was practically guaranteed to make a man run in the opposite direction.

"And your body." The demi-tasse was almost full and Deeks was practically salivating.

"Talking of bodies – go and put something on before you freeze to death. There's a robe hanging up behind the bedroom door." Not that Kensi didn't like seeing him completely naked, it was just that it was rather distracting. And she had to keep reminding herself that they were here to work, not to go back to bed and make love all day, no matter how tempting that prospect might be. She had to be professional, to stay focused. And she had to make sure that Callen and Sam did not guess what was going on. Above all, Kensi had to make sure they never found out.

"We match." Deeks came back in, modelling a deep green velour robe that was identical to the one Kensi was wearing. "Cute, no?"

"Adorable. It's just a pity we didn't co-ordinate out ski-suits. Only I don't think hot-pink is your colour, somehow."

"I'm confident in my sexuality," Deeks protested.

"Tell me something I don't know." Kensi handed him the coffee. "Get that inside you and then go get ready. We've got work to do."

"Have I told you how much I love it when you talk dirty?"

"Not that kind of work, Deeks. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Only if you promise to show me the stars again tonight."

How could she possibly refuse?

"What on earth are you wearing?" Kensi had come out of the shower, just as Deeks was in the middle of pulling his long-sleeved undershirt on over his head.

When he emerged, with tousled hair, he gave her an indignant look. "What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?" Kensi took another look and shook her head. "What do you look like, Deeks?"

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and failed to see what all the fuss was about. "A ninja?" he suggested hopefully. So his underwear was black – big deal.

"More like a spider, with those legs." Kensi wondered how she had never noticed how long his legs were before. "You really weren't kidding about the long-johns, were you?"

"And you weren't kidding about the pink, were you?" Her outfit was practically fluorescent and it was definitely hurting his eyes. At least she'd be easy to spot on the slopes.

"This is what Kim would wear."

"Okay. So she's got no taste. Please tell me you got a suit with a good insulation?"

"No, I got a suit that makes my butt look good."

Sometimes it was hard to tell if Kensi was joking, so he'd just have to trust her judgement. But she was definitely right about one thing – her butt looked great.


	10. Chapter 10

Kensi watched in astonishment as Deeks pulled on a dark turtleneck on top of the full length underwear. Someone was going to have a lot of fun undressing him at the end of the day. Someone called Kensi Marie Blye.

"Two pairs of socks?" Kensi was beginning to think that he was playing some elaborate joke. It went without saying that they were black too. She suspected that Deeks had watched _On Her Majesty's Secret Service_ rather too often for comfort.

"The inner pair are liners. It gets pretty cold out there." There was nothing worse than having cold feet, Deeks though. Well, actually, there was one thing that worse, but he had no intention of exposing that particular part of his anatomy to freezing temperatures, thank you very much. Hence the full length silk long johns on top of his underwear. There was no point in leaving that sort of thing to chance, after all.

"I'm as warm as toast." In fact, Kensi was beginning to feel a little overheated. It was pure coincidence that Deeks was still standing there, modelling those close fitting long-johns. She was pretty sure he was wearing briefs underneath, rather than his normal boxers. Not that she was actually looking particularly closely, but she was a highly-trained agent, with first class observation skills.

Deeks didn't even bother to tell her that she was only warm was because they were inside, and the heating was on full blast. If Kensi wanted to ignore his advice about how to dress properly and freeze her cute little ass off, then that was her own business. She knew what she was in for after all. She had to be wearing thermals under that suit. Maybe bright pink ones to match?

"That's what you're wearing?" Kensi shook her head in dismay as Deeks pulled on a pair of dark ski pants and a similarly sombre jacket. Talk about drab and boring. She looked down at her own vibrant outfit in considerable satisfaction. Kim was definitely a girl who liked to have fun.

"Got it in one." Clothes had never really been that important to Deeks. Of course, it was different for girls. It was definitely different for Kensi, who favoured body-hugging clothes and who looked good in anything. Even that eye-wateringly bright ski suit that looked like something Barbie might wear – if she was on crack.

"It's a bit boring." Kensi could never quite work out why guys were so afraid of a bit of colour. Deeks found it difficult to see past navy blue most days, only occasionally ringing the changes with stripes or one of those plaid shirts he was so mysteriously fond of.

"Robert's kind of a staid guy. He married Kim to try to get a bit of excitement into his life." Deeks decided it wasn't worth while telling Kensi about the superior thermal properties of his suit. Or the number of handy pockets it contained.

"I don't care if he's boring, he's not wearing that hat." Kensi pulled the knitted garment out of his hands and looked at it in considerable disgust.

"Yes, he is. More to the point, I'm wearing it." Just to put the point beyond all further discussion, Deeks pulled it on. "You lose a lot of body heat from your head. I got you one too." He held it out.

"Have you any idea how long it took me to do this?" Kensi gestured to the French pleat. "I am not ruining all my hard work." Besides, the hat was totally the wrong colour and such so not what Kim would wear. And it wasn't even as if she planned to do any skiing anyway, mainly because she couldn't actually ski, but because there was ample opportunity to pose as newly-weds in the coffee shops, restaurants and bars around Tahoe. They could surely get all the information they needed, without going to all the bother of throwing themselves off a mountain.

Giving it up as a bad job, Deeks didn't even bother offering her his high-protection sun-screen, complete with added moisturisers and a UV filter, of course.

* * *

><p>"I don't think much of their winter weather gear." Kensi looked across the busy coffee shop to where Callen and Sam were sitting, their parkas draped across the backs of their chairs.<p>

Actually, Deeks had a very similar one in his closet back in LA, but he forbade from saying so. Clearly wind, water and cold resistance was not high on Kensi's list of priorities today.

"Mind if we join you?" Kensi flashed a brilliant smile. "It's so crowded in here."

"Sure, there's plenty of room." Sam moved their cups and plates so that Deeks could put down the tray he was holding.

"Robert Marlow." Deeks held out his hand. "And this is my wife, Kim."

"We're just married!" Kensi waggled the ring finger on her left hand.

"Congratulations."

"We had to elope," Kensi burbled on, talking as loudly as possible. "Because Bobo's parents thought I was just after his money…"

Sam feigned fascination while, under cover of her inanities, Callen briefed Deeks on what they had been able to establish so far, which didn't add up to much, other than that the dead Marine had liked to party hard, and had been seen around several clubs, along with an attractive blonde, who had managed to disappear without a trace.

"How are you and Kensi getting on?" There was a very definite edge to his voice.

Deeks stared at him blandly. "Fine. We're great. Our lodge is great."

"No problems?" Callen probed.

"Why would we be having any problems? You and Sam aren't the only ones who can pull off a convincing cover, you know." He was on the defensive now, resenting the implication.

"We're not posing as newly-weds," Callen reminded him tersely.

"We're partners – we know each other and we trust each other."

It was like waving a red rag at a bull. Deeks slipped on arm around Kensi and Callen couldn't help but notice the way she leant into him, or the fact that Deeks' fingers were curved around her breast. Far from protesting, a small smile edged its way across Kensi's face and she reached up to tousle his hair fondly.

"We're professionals," Deeks said coldly. "Just like you and Sam." He gave Kensi a squeeze. "Sugar, I think we'd better getting going. I want to get on the slopes before midday."

"Aw, Bobo – I'm just chatting." She twinkled prettily at Sam. "He gets terribly jealous, you know."

"That's because I can't believe you agreed to marry me." Deeks managed to look suitable love-struck and his hand moved so that it was now directly over Kensi's right breast.

"Doesn't he just say the sweetest things?" Kensi took Deeks' face between her hands and kissed him thoroughly. Callen could almost swear that there were tongues involved and felt himself getting hot under the collar. Either they were putting on an Oscar-worthy performance, or their was definitely something going on. And that was just the sort of complication none of them needed on this operation. Or at any time, if he was totally honest. They should know better than to let their private lives interfere with their work: the two things had to remain strictly separate. Callen was blithely impervious to the irony of this thought, or to the fact that he had spent long periods obsessing with his past to the detriment of his work.

"Who could resist you, sweetheart?" Deeks' hands were firmly planted on her ass, caressing it gently and he grinned happily at Callen. "I bet these guys wish they were in my shoes right now, don't you?"

Sam chuckled happily, but Callen found that he was lost for words and could only watch as they wandered out.

"Deeks is enjoying himself," Sam remarked, stating the blindingly obvious.

"Maybe a little too much." Callen was still trying to process everything. "Don't you think they were maybe just a little too friendly? A bit too intimate?" If they'd gone much further they could have charged people to watch.

"Robert and Kim are on honeymoon," Sam reminded him "There's no such thing as too intimate when you're on honeymoon." A dozen memories came flooding back and he could feel a dopey smile on his own face.

"But this is Kensi and Deeks," Callen reminded him. "Usually she'd be pushing him away. And don't bother telling me it's because they're under cover. Even Kensi's not that good." That kiss had been real: he'd stake his life on it. Well, maybe not his life – Sam's life, or perhaps Eric's.

Sam shook his head sadly. "Being away from LA doesn't agree with you, G. It must be the altitude, because you are definitely losing it. Big on - Kensi and Deeks? As if." He was laughing so hard, he paid the tab without blinking an eye and completely forgot to ask for a receipt, which meant there was no chance of claiming it back on expenses.

"Stranger things have happened."

"Name me one."

Callen thought for a moment. "Lisa Marie Presley marrying Michael Jackson?"

"True enough. That was seriously weird. It didn't last though."

"Neither will Kensi and Deeks- and that's what worries me."

"G – get it into your head – there is no Kensi and Deeks."

"Want to bet on that?"

Sam pulled out his wallet. "Two hundred?"

"Two hundred." Callen had a feeling this was going to be the easiest money he'd ever made, even though part of him was hoping that he wouldn't collect. Because these sorts of affairs always ended in trouble, one way or another. He knew that from bitter experience. He'd lost everything – his house, his wife and his dog. And he still missed the dog.

* * *

><p>"How was I supposed to know you were serious?" They were standing at the start of a black diamond run and Deeks was just about to launch himself down the hill, when Kensi suddenly took a step backwards.<p>

"I told you I couldn't ski." Kensi was sure she had made that perfectly clear back in LA. The kind of sports that required a hefty insurance premium were the kind of sports she avoided. She had enough of life-threatening experiences at work without letting them intrude into her off-duty time.

"I thought you were kidding me." Because how could anybody live in California not know how to surf and ski? And then Deeks remembered Kensi couldn't surf either.

"Why would I kid about a thing like this?" Kensi looked at the run and gulped. "This is suicidal. You'd have to be mad to even think about going down something like that."

"That's part of the fun – pushing yourself."

"This is not fun. This is crazy."

Deeks turned around to look at her. "You've got two choices – come down with me and I'll show you the safe route."

"Or?" That didn't sound like much of an option to Kensi.

"Or you can take off your skis and walk back down. But it'll probably take you a good hour."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Kensi was bending over and unclipping her bindings. "That works for me."

"Really?" Deeks looked at the run again: it wasn't that bad. Okay, so a wrong turn at too high a speed might send you crashing into a tree, but apart from that, it was just a good, fast run. If the worst came to the worst, Kensi could stand in front of him and he'd keep her on the right route. It was just a matter of balance, judgement and nerves. Well, and a fair bit of experience and skill.

"Really." Kensi's face was set in an expression of grim determination. "So?"

"So what?"

"Take off your skis."

"Unless you are inviting me for an outdoor session, then think again."

Kensi couldn't believe her ears. "You're really proposing to let me walk all the way down by myself?"

"Uh huh. And then this afternoon, I'm going to get you booked in for some lessons on the nursery slopes." Finally, there was something he could do better than Kensi. Deeks thought of all the times when Kensi had expressed surprise and disbelief that he hadn't completed the NCIS approved course in advanced disembowelling techniques or whatever and felt an inner glow of satisfaction. It was finally payback after all those times she'd made him feel inferior, almost emasculated and it felt sweet.

"You need to learn to ski, Kensi. It's amazing. Push yourself for once." He pulled down his sunglasses and launched himself off down the slope.

Kensi watched with her heart in her mouth as Deeks seemed to dart in and out of the trees, surely going much faster than was safe. He could certainly ski, no doubt about it. Then she shouldered her skis and started to pick her way back down the mountain, cursing him roundly with each step.

"You are going to regret this, Marty Deeks. Believe me, you are so going to regret this."

Within ten minutes, she was the one regretting it. Kensi could not remember being so cold in her entire life. The cold had entered her bones and the ski suit did nothing to keep out the keen wind that was buffeting the mountain, and blowing small flurries of snow into the air. That silk underwear of Deeks' seemed like an awfully good idea. Not as good as sitting in a coffee shop, drinking hot chocolate. With little marshmallows in it. That thought cheered her up slightly as she gritted her teeth and plodded on. Ski boots were not made for hiking, she discovered shortly afterwards. It felt as if she had a large blister on her left heel, and this only served to sour her mood even further.

"Just you wait, Marty Deeks. Just you wait till I get my hands on you."


	11. Chapter 11

Within ten minutes, she was the one regretting it. Kensi could not remember being so cold in her entire life. The cold had entered her bones and the ski suit did nothing to keep out the keen wind that was buffeting the mountain, and blowing small flurries of snow into the air. That silk underwear of Deeks' seemed like an awfully good idea right now. Although not as good as sitting in a coffee shop, drinking hot chocolate. Hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it. That thought cheered her up slightly as she gritted her teeth and plodded on. Ski boots were not made for hiking, she discovered shortly afterwards. It felt as if she had a large blister on her left heel, and this only served to sour her mood even further.

"Just you wait, Marty Deeks. Just you wait till I get my hands on you."

Setting her jaw, Kensi picked her way down through the pine trees, catching only occasional glimpses of Lake Tahoe sparkling far below. Every so often, another skier flew past and she began to wonder if maybe she should consider learning to ski. It did look kind of fun, after all. And could it really be that difficult? The next skier changed her mind, as she watched him wipe-out in rather spectacular style and go tumbling down the slope. That settled it: skiing was for lunatics. And as for snowboarders, they just seemed to have a lemming-like instinct. Kensi had a sneaking suspicion that Deeks was in their number. Nothing would surprise her less. He probably still had a skateboard too, because Deeks was just a big kid at heart. But he was going to learn that he'd messed with the wrong person when he left her at the top of the slope. With any luck, he was already regretting his decision and was coming back up on the ski-lift, full of apologies. Any minute now and she'd hear him come running down the mountain…

She turned around and peered back through the gloom of the trees. There was no sign of anyone. Typical, absolutely typical. Why had she expected anything else from Deeks? She should have known better than to trust him. Kensi had learned a long time ago that men always let you down. Her father had died, Jack had walked out and Dom had died too. Deeks had shown she couldn't trust him when he had gone on that undercover mission to uncover the LAPD mole. Everyone had known about that – everyone except her. Even Nell had known. Heck, the guy who cleaned the toilets at the Mission had probably known. Why had she trusted Deeks? Why had she been so stupid as to sleep with him? That was probably the biggest mistake she had ever made in her entire life. She'd let him get too close. Once they wrapped things up here, she was going to speak to Hetty, ask her for a transfer. There was no way she could work with Deeks after this. No way at all. Actually, it would probably be a better idea just to get him transferred back to LAPD. She was the NCIS agent here – he was just a liaison. Oh yes, Marty Deeks was going to learn that he'd messed with the wrong girl.

Under other circumstances, Kensi would have enjoyed the hike down the mountain: the day was crisp and clear, even if the temperatures were freezing, and the scenery was spectacular. But her boots were rubbing, and the skis were awkward to carry and her fashionable ski suit might look great, but it didn't do much in the way of keeping her warm. Of course, she had her wrath to do that and she nursed it judiciously, feeling her anger mount with each step she took. It didn't help matters that she twice spotted Deeks going back down the ski run, once again on skis and then on a snow board. Judging from the broad grin on his face, he was enjoying himself hugely. Filled with righteous indignation, Kensi plodded grimly on, and tried to take some solace in planning all sorts of uncomfortable encounters for him, such as replacing his shampoo with hair removal cream. So it was petty? So what/ He deserved it – and more.

The object of her ire was waiting at the foot of the slope, casually sipping a cup of coffee, when she finally emerged. "Enjoy the walk?" There it was again, that smug, knowing smile, accompanied by that tilt of the eyebrow. Sometimes Deeks was so predictable.

Kensi stalked past with as much dignity as she could muster, given that she could longer feel her feet, or indeed any other part of her anatomy.

"Aw, come on Kimmie. Don't be mad at me."

"Mad?" Kensi whirled around. "Mad doesn't even begin to describe how I feel, Bobo. If you were any sort of a man…"

"We're on honeymoon, remember, oh light of my life?" Deeks hissed softly and then raised his voice again. "I missed you so much, baby." He held his arms open and Kensi forced herself into them. And then let the skis on her shoulder swing around and clonk him roundly on the head, accidentally on purpose.

"Bobo darling! I am so sorry. Are you all right? Here, let me see." Her voice was full of concern and only the most sceptical of listeners would have detected a note of triumph.

Deeks obediently bent his head, let Kensi tug off his cap and start to examine his head.

"Do you have to pull my hair quite so hard?" he protested, as quietly as was possible, given the circumstances. It felt as if Kensi had pulled out enough to leave a bald spot.

"Believe me, that's nothing compared with what I'm going to do to you later." Kensi patted the afflicted area with rather more force than tender loving care. "You'll live, darling." She lowered her voice. "More's the pity." It was really quite amazing how fast her tone could change from honeyed tenderness to complete venom.

"I think I need to get you back to the lodge." Deeks decided it was only prudent to carry the skis himself, not wanting to tempt fate and risk getting whacked in a more sensitive part of his person. He'd seen Kensi kick guys in the junk before and didn't want to risk it. There was a dangerous flash in her eyes that was signalling imminent implosion. "Don't go and frelt yourself on my account."

"No danger of that." Kensi got into the car and let him stow the skis safely on the roof rack. "Put the heating on, Deeks. Please? I'm freezing."

Deeks looked across and decided he'd maybe gone too far. There was a pinched look about Kensi's face and she was chittering with cold. Reaching across, he pulled off her gloves and rubbed the chilly fingers briskly between his hands. "I'll have us back home in a few minutes. And I'll run you a hot bath."

"That sounds glorious." Kensi held her fingers out towards the hot air vents. "But I still hate you. And you can find yourself somewhere else to sleep tonight."

"Not going to happen." Deeks drove towards the lodge as fast as he could. "Because tonight I am going to wine you and dine you and then we're going out dancing. As Kim and Robert, of course. The newly weds who can't keep their hands off each other."

"And when we get back, you can still go and sleep somewhere else." Kensi stared at him. "I'm serious, Deeks"

"No kidding. I'd never have guessed." Deeks changed gears with rather more vehemence than was strictly necessary. "How many times have you made it clear that when I can't do something as well as you – then that's a failing on my part? I'm just supposed to keep up with you, do my best – or die in the process. But when just for once it's the other way around – you just don't even bother to try, and somehow that's my fault too. Jesus Kensi, a guy can't ever win with you, can he? I don't know why I even bother trying."

"This was completely different."

"No, it wasn't. It was just like a dozen times before. I bet if there was an NCIS course on being self-righteous and hypocritical, you'd pass it with flying colours."

Goaded beyond belief, Kensi rounded on him. "Back up there on the mountain - I was scared, alright? Completely terrified, if you want the truth. I haven't been so scared since… since it doesn't matter, okay."

They were pulling into the driveway of their lodge and Deeks was staring at her curiously. "Since when, Kensi?" His voice was no longer filled with anger, rather it was low and inviting.

"I said it doesn't matter."

"You lied. It does matter. It matters to you and it matters to me. So tell me, when was the last time you were so scared you nearly peed your pants?"

She caught the reference immediately and remembered Deeks holding out his hands, refusing to leave her alone it that spider's web of laser beams, and then taking the force of the explosion, grabbing onto her and turning over so that he landed on the ground first, cushioning her own fall with his body.

"You really want to know, Deeks? Okay, I'll tell you." Kensi took a deep breath. "I haven't been so scared since you were shot and I didn't know if you were alive or dead, Or later, when you came after me and I saw you standing there, outside the hospital. And I thought you were going to die because of me." If she closed her eyes, Kensi could see once again the blood blossoming forth like huge, obscene blooms all over the white dressings covering Deeks' wounds, and she could see the fear and agony in his eyes, just as she'd sent it a hundred times in her dreams.

There was silence after that, except for the quiet hum of the car engine and the noise of the extremely effective heater.

"I was scared too – scared that I wouldn't get there in time," Deeks admitted. They'd never spoken about that time, not since Kensi had held onto him and then knelt beside him on the cold concrete, gripping onto his hand, stroking his hair, calling him Marty and begging him to hold on. That was stuck with him – she'd called him Marty when she thought he was dying. And she'd called him Marty the other night, when she was sleeping. That had to mean something, didn't it? Now, if only he could work out what that was, he might die a happy man.

"You did. Just like you always do. You always get there, Deeks - eventually." Kensi shrugged. "It's just that sometimes your timing is seriously off. Like now, for example. Can we just go inside? I really am frozen."

"Still want me to give you that bath?"

Kensi got out of the car silently. So she hadn't exactly said 'yes', Deeks thought. But then she hadn't said 'no' either. Things could be worse. He followed her into the lodge, noticing how slowly she was walking, as if her legs did not really belong to her.

"Sit down." Deeks pushed her into the chair beside the fire, and Kensi obeyed without a word, just sitting there and watching as he started the fire. Someone had been in to tidy up, and had laid a new fire, so that all that was required was merely to strike a match and hold it to the kindling. Once the flames had taken hold, Deeks turned around and started to undo the remaining clips on her ski boots before pulling them off. And then he pulled up a stool, placed Kensi's feet on his lap and began to slowly massage them.

"Is that better?" He was looking directly at her, face glowing with the exertions of a morning's skiing, rude health and vigour almost palpably emanating from him. And the things his fingers were doing were beyond good. It took all Kensi's strength not to moan out loud in sheer bliss. It was such an intimate thing to do, and yet it seemed so right.

"it's good," she managed.

Deeks smiled at her. "Your feet are freezing. I'm guessing the rest of you is too?"

"Give the man a prize." The heat of the fire was beginning to thaw her out slightly, but Kensi was still chilled.

"I've got the very thing for that" Deeks stood up and went across to the drinks tray. "Brandy. Drink it, Kensi." She was still as white as a sheet, and he was beginning to get worried.

He was being terribly bossy, Kensi thought, but she didn't have the strength to resist, so she just took hold of the chunky tumbler and took a large mouthful. It burned all the way down, but left a trail of fire that started to glow inside her.

"I'll just go and get that bath started."

Kensi watched in amazement as he wandered away through to the bathroom. This could not be happening. There was no way Deeks could seriously expect that she was meekly going to submit to his ministrations after he'd virtually abandoned her on top of that mountain? Kensi took another gulp of the brandy and decided it really didn't taste so bad this time around. In fact it tasted quite delicious. Just to make sure, she finished the rest of the glass and was just considering pouring herself another generous slug when Deeks came back in.

"Want a hand up?" Not waiting for an answer he pulled her up, and Kensi found herself staggering into his arms. "Next time, don't drink so fast on an empty stomach, okay?" Maybe the combination of fresh air at altitude and alcohol hadn't been such a good idea after all?

"I feel fine," Kensi assured him, swaying back and forward.

"I'll bet you do." Her hands still felt like ice though. Deeks tried to guide her forward, but even with an arm around her waist, Kensi was swaying dangerously. "Stay right there, okay? Just stand still."

"I told you: I feel fine." Kensi gave a gasp of surprise as Deeks bent down and then hoisted her over his shoulder, her hands hanging loosely until she grabbed hold of his butt. "And so do you, Marty."

Oh God, Deeks thought. He'd got her drunk and she'd called him Marty again. This could only mean trouble.

* * *

><p><em>What is it with this pair and hot water? First the jacuzzi, now the bath...<em>


	12. Chapter 12

_A slightly shorter installment today, as Phillydi arrived today for a visit!_

* * *

><p>Oh God, Deeks thought. He'd got her drunk and she'd called him Marty again. This could only mean trouble. He deposited Kensi carefully onto the side of the bath, but was careful to keep hold of one of her hands. The last thing he wanted was for her to tumble over backwards and knock herself out cold. He'd never live that one down. Knowing his luck, she'd probably managed to drown if he turned his back for one second, giving a whole new twist to the old 'Bride in the Bath' saga.<p>

"You used bubble bath," Kensi said dreamily, and swished her hand through the water. "That's so sweet of you, Marty."

Deeks unzipped her top and managed to pull her arms free without too much trouble, revealing nothing more than a lacy camisole underneath. Small wonder she had been freezing out there. He tried very hard not to think about what was underneath the camisole – there would time enough for that later on. It was definitely time to bring back another bit of Shakespeare from the dark recesses of his mind so that he could concentrate on the job in hand … _There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries._ And this was definitely one of those moments, no doubt about it at all. This tide was pulling him forward relentlessly, and it might just throw him onto the rocks and crash him into oblivion.

"Uh huh. I'm a sweet guy alright." And for once inwardly quoting lines was no distraction at all. Because instead of the slightly musty smell of his former classroom, all Deeks could smell was the sweet, intoxicating scent of Kensi, like she was surrounding him, burrowing into every crevice of his being. And she smelt so good it threatened to put his spine out of place. It was getting rather too warm for comfort, Deeks discovered, so he pulled off the dark coloured sweater.

"The sweetest." Kensi lurched forward slightly and steadied herself by grabbing onto his hair. "And you've got sweet hair too." It was impossibly tousled already and her ministrations only made it worse.

"Can you stand up?" It was going to be difficult enough, peeling the skin-tight pants off, but it would be a near impossible task if she remained seated on the tub.

Kensi thought about this. "I think so," she said, uncertainly. "Why?"

"So I can undress you." Deeks hauled in a deep breath and tried very hard just to think about practical things and not let his mind run off on wild flights of fantasy. There was no point in even trying to recall a single line from Shakespeare, because his mind was too full of Kensi.

"Oh. Okay then. I can do that." She wavered back and forth unsteadily.

"Put your hands on my shoulders and hold on." Kneeling on the floor, Deeks found his eyes were directly in line with her midriff, which should have made matter simple. Except that he'd dreamt of undressing Kensi a hundred thousand times. Did these ski pants have to be so tight-fitting? To cling to her butt so lovingly that he had so ease his hand in and coax them away from her flesh before finally peeling them off?

"You've got nice warm hands," Kensi said approvingly, feeling them stroke down her legs as the pants slithered down.

"Thanks." She looked at him expectantly, clearly waiting for a similar compliment. "You've got nice legs." It was the best he could manage, given the circumstances. "Nice and long." _Just the right length to wrap around you, my dear,_ Grandma Wolf whispered unhelpfully in his ear and his groin throbbed painfully.

"They are, aren't they?" Kensi tried to raise one up so she could admire it properly, completely forgetting that the ski pants were currently around her ankles and nearly went her length. "I seem to be a bit wobbly."

"You're probably just tired." Deeks finally managed to remove the pants.

"Probably. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Really? Neither did I." He gestured to the camisole. "How about you take that off?"

Kensi held both arms straight up in the air. "You do it," she invited generously.

He could that, Deeks thought. She was wearing a bra, so it was just fine. Okay, so once the top was off he could see that the bra was incredibly sheer and mind-blowingly low-cut, but he could deal with that. It was that the bra was more tantalising than if Kensi had not been wearing anything at all. And there was no way she was co-ordinated enough to manage to undo the strap so there was nothing for it but to reach behind her and unfasten it.

Not the first time in his life, Deeks realised how wrong he'd been. Kensi's breasts were infinitely more tantalising now they were revealed in their naked gory: full and high and so lush he wanted to bury his head in them. Just let me die now, he thought and clasped his hands firmly, interweaving his fingers tightly, just in case they were tempted to stray. Had any man ever been so tempted and behaved so gallantly?

"You want to get into the bath now?" Deeks didn't think he could take any more of this. He had his limits and the sight of Kensi, standing there almost completely nude was pushing them rather too far for comfort. And now that he thought of it, Deeks realised he was much too hard for comfort. He positively ached for Kensi.

"I've still got my panties on," Kensi said protestingly. "And they're my good ones. Don't you think they're pretty."

Like he hadn't noticed. "Very pretty." Mere scraps of silk and lace. But not nearly as pretty as what they barely hid. "Do you need a hand?" His mouth was as dry as the desert.

"Yes please. You've got nice hands, did I ever tell you that?"

"You said they were warm."

Kensi grabbed his hand and brought it up to her eyes to take a closer look. "Really long fingers." She stroked them admiringly.

"Thanks." _All the better to caress you with,_ Grandma Wolf teased. Deeks closed his eyes for a second and tried not to think about his long fingers dancing over her body, followed by his lips and his tongue. He slipped the panties down gently and helped Kensi to step out of them and then into the bath, imprinting the sight on his memory.

"Ooooh!" Kensi sighed blissfully as she sank into the warm water, easing down so that the bubbles surrounded her. Her cheeks were flushed with pink now, and her eyes were sparkling with their old vigour. And the bubbles concealed just about everything, except for the fact that each time she moved, Deeks got a glimpse of rounded breast and the unmistakeable sight of a rosy nipple. He needed a brandy so badly. Or a nice glass of hemlock, because she was going to kill him when she sobered up. There was no way Kensi was ever going to buy that he'd behaved like a perfect gentleman – even if that was the truth.

"Aren't you going to join me?" Kensi sat up and held her hands out invitingly. Her skin glowed with a warm flush and the bubbles slid slowly downwards, revealing more of her with each passing second. Deeks felt his insides convulse.

* * *

><p><em>Stay tuned for more tomorrow!<em>


	13. Chapter 13

"Aren't you going to join me?" Kensi sat up and held her hands out invitingly. Her skin glowed with a warm flush and the bubbles slid slowly downwards, revealing more of her with each passing second. Deeks felt his insides convulse.

"No, I'm fine." Because if Deeks knew that if he got into that bath, with Kensi, there was no way he could hold back. No way at all. And that would ruin everything. She had to know that she could trust him, that was for sure.

Kensi reached out one wet, soapy hand and squeezed his upper arm appreciatively. "I know you are. Very fine indeed. You've got nice muscles, Marty."

"Thank you." God, she had the tightest grip. It felt as if she might just pull him into the bath, and then all his good intentions would go to nothing. And that would be it – the end of their partnership. Deeks managed to disentangle himself and eased Kensi back down under the water again, so that at least a degree of temptation was removed. But out of sight was not out of mind. Those bubbles just made her look even more desirable than ever

"But you must have got hot with all that skiing." Kensi lay back in that water and gazed up at him. Her eyes were huge and dark. "You're really good, Marty."

"I'm okay, I suppose." Kensi had no idea how good he was being or how utterly desirable she was, all pink and naked and warm and inviting and … and this was killing him. He was hot alright – hot for her. Almost burning up with lust, in fact.

"You really should have a bath, don't you think?" She was smiling up at him and Deeks had to fight the urge to pull off all his clothes there and then and jump into the water and gather Kensi into his arms and… And this was crazy. He wasn't going to do that, because she would kill him, very, very slowly indeed. And then she would tell Callen and Sam and they would throw his miserable remains into the depths of Lake Tahoe, to be consumed by Tessie, or whatever they called the mythical creature that was supposed to reside in the frigid waters.

"I've got a few things to do first. I'll have a shower before we go out tonight." And it would be a cold shower, possibly a freezing cold one. Or maybe Deeks should just go drown himself in the lake and save everyone a lot of bother?

"Oh yes. We're going out, aren't we?"

"Dinner and then dancing."

"I love dancing." There was a dreamy look in Kensi's eyes, and Deeks realised that tonight might just provide him with an opportunity to redeem himself. A suitably romantic night out could just be very thing. Of course, they would be working, but posing as a newly-married couple provided plenty of scope for opportunity – staring at each other across a candlelit table, with soft music played in the background. Now, all he had to do was to somehow manage to get Kensi out of the bath, dried and into bed without doing anything, without touching her more than was strictly necessary. And then he could apply for sainthood.

* * *

><p>Kensi woke up from the strangest dream, one in which she had been lying in a bath, talking to Deeks, who was dressed from head to foot in black. He'd then wrapped her up in a green velour robe and carried her to bed. She shook her head slowly at the memory and sat up slowly. Judging from the light outside, it was around mid-afternoon. What on earth was she doing in bed? And why did her French pleat feel damp? Curiouser and curiouser. However, when she realised that she was in fact wearing a forest green bath robe, the memories started to flood back. The cold; the brandy and the bath. And Deeks.<p>

Kensi clutched the edges of the robe together protectively and then lay back on the pillows and stared up at the ceiling in despair. It had happened. It had really happened. She had been so tipsy Deeks had to undress her and put her in the bath. How was she ever going to be able to look at him again after that? Feeling her cheeks burning with embarrassment, Kensi rolled over and buried her face in the bedding and then thumped the mattress with her fists for good measure. After indulging herself to the extent of kicking her feet up and down for good measure, Kensi finally decided that enough was enough and it was time to sort things out, once and for all.

"Deeks!" There was no answer, so she tried again. "Deeks – get your sorry ass in here, or you'll be sorry." He'd be sorry anyway, Kensi thought furiously. He'd be so sorry – she would personally make sure of that. What the hell had he been thinking of? And exactly what had he done? It was so frustrating, because Kensi was trying desperately to remember, and she couldn't. She couldn't remember anything, except Deeks carefully undressing her and then sitting beside the bath. And there had to have been more – didn't there? Deeks was a red-blooded man, wasn't he? Which meant he pretty much thought about sex all the time. So how could he not have touched her?

When there was still no answer to her somewhat inelegant bellow, Kensi was forced to get up and go in search of her missing partner. A fruitless search, as it turned out, for the lodge was empty. There was, however, a note on the coffee table.

_Gone shopping. Back soon.  
>Hope you had a good sleep.<em>

It was signed with an odd sort of squiggle, that might, or might not, have read 'Marty'. It definitely looked like 'Marty', which was strange, because she never called him that. Except inside her head. Once or twice, no more than that. Because when you were fantasising about someone, to call them by their surname sounded like you were at one of those English public schools, which was a bit weird. So Kensi called him 'Marty' when he popped into the odd fantasy. Which was only once or maybe twice a week. Occasionally three times. And what on earth did he mean by saying that he had 'gone shopping', for heaven's sake. Men didn't go shopping – not real men, at any rate.

It hit her like a thunderbolt. He was gay. He must be. There was no other possible reason. Deeks was gay and that was why he hadn't touched her, when she had been stark staring naked in the bath. It was the only possible answer. How could he have resisted otherwise? Deeks was gay and that was all there was to it. All that flirting during the whole time he'd been with NCIS was just an elaborate smoke screen. And why he'd found it so easy just to sleep with her and not lay a finger on her the night of the storm. It all made perfect sense, just as long as Kensi conveniently managed to ignore the fact that they had made love three times since then and she'd practically heard the waves crashing on the shores of Lake Tahoe, in the manner of all the best films from an earlier, more subtle era. If Deeks was gay, then that explained everything and it meant that everything was fine. Everything except for the fact that he'd made her feel more alive than she'd ever felt in her entire life and just the merest touch of his fingertips on her skin was enough to drive Kensi to distraction. Just thinking about him and she was getting excited all over again. And she knew he wasn't gay – which was a pity, because things would have been so much easier if he was. Easier – but incredibly frustrating, because Deeks was so hot he raised her temperature just by coming into a room.

Clearly, something had to be done. It had to be done urgently, because they had a job to do tonight – they had to try to get some information about the murder. She recalled that Kim had been a dancer, and an idea started to form in Kensi's mind – she would show Deeks the error of his ways; she would show him exactly what he was missing. She would drive him absolutely wild with desire, maybe even let him kiss her. Scrub that, she would definitely let him kiss her because his tongue was wicked and sweet and probing and gentle and a thousand other things. Later, once he was at the stage of no return, they'd come back here and she would lock the bedroom door, with him firmly on the wrong side of it. That would show Deeks exactly who he was messing with. Of course, there was the small matter that she would probably lie awake all night, groaning in frustration, but it was a small price to be paid. Deeks needed to be taught a lesson once and for all.

* * *

><p>It was dark outside and Kensi had nearly completed her preparaions, when Deeks finally sauntered in, carry a large number of carrier bags. "Good afternoon shopping?" She made sure her tone was sweet and reasonable.<p>

"Not bad." He looked admiringly at her hair, which tumbled down her back in a profusion of wild curls after finally being released from the French pleat. "You look good."

She looked more than good – she looked amazing, like some sort of wild gypsy, with that hair, the black floaty skirt and a sheer white blouse. And boots. Shiny, black leather boots, that disappeared underneath the skirt. Deeks wondered how far up they went: mid calf? Knee length? Over the knee? His mouth started to water at the prospect of finding out. And she seemed in a really good mood. "You're not annoyed at me?"

"Why would I be annoyed? Nothing happened, did it?" She smiled, and Deeks saw that Kensi's eyes were dark and smokey, and her lips were coloured scarlet and she looked incredible. Just totally incredible. He began to think of those lips leaving a trail of kisses imprinted on his torso.

"Nothing happened." Again. For the second time Deeks had managed not to lay one inappropriate finger on her. What was wrong with the man? Kensi wondered what sort of excuse he would come up with this time for his inexplicable behaviour. "You'd better go and have that shower you were talking about earlier."

Deeks gave a start. "You remember that?" And she seemed fine. Great, that was one less thing to worry about. Life was complicated enough already. At least Kensi knew he wasn't a selfish pig, that he could restrain himself. There was sex – and God knows, he loved sex. But then there was making love – which was not only physical, but mental. Once you'd made love, sex was just a pale imitation, an almost insubstantial shadow.

"I remember everything." Kensi hoped he couldn't see that she had her fingers crossed behind her back, because she could see how turned on he was by her outfit. And he didn't know the half of it. Tonight, she was going to blow his socks off – and his sock liners too. And maybe those black silk long johns too, just for good measure. Tonight, Marty Deeks wasn't going to know what had hit him, because Hurricane Kensi was on her way.

"I got you some stuff." Deeks gestured to the bags on his way into the bathroom. "Don't want you to freeze to death on me again."

Kensi rifled through the bags and pulled out a ski jacket and pants in a mid-blue, with silver piping. It wasn't what she would have chosen, but it was alright. And it was thoughtful of him. Very thoughtful – even if he was using Hetty's charge card. And the silk underwear in a dull rose pink was actually rather lovely. Deeks had surprisingly good taste – at least when it came to women's clothes. The one thing that concerned Kensi was that he had got exactly the right sizes in everything. But then, knowing Deeks, he'd probably bought underwear for lots of women in the past: cheap underwear, in red and black, because men had boringly predictable fantasies. Still, at least he'd bought her tasteful clothes. He'd probably had help, of course.

There was one bag left – a small one, that revealed a slim box, about twelve inches long. Kensi opened it and saw a silver chain, with a snowflake pendant, studded with crystals that caught the light and reflected it back in a rainbow of different colours.

"What's this?" It was dangling from one hand, when Deeks ambled back in to the room, wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist.

"A necklace." His face fell almost comically. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"So Bobo can give it to Kim tonight and she'll be overcome with joy." Kensi looked at it again and thought how pretty it was. She could just see Deeks, flirting with some girl in a jewellers and spending much more than was sensible. "Hetty is going to freak when she gets the bill for this."

"It's nothing to do with Hetty," Deeks said flatly. "Like I said, it was supposed to be a surprise. From me to you." He sighed and then dropped the towel and reached towards the bed for his underwear.

"Not so fast." Kensi interposed herself between Deeks and the garments. "What do you mean by that?"

Deeks glared at her, with as much dignity as he could gather together. "It's a present, Kensi. Okay? And clearly I've done the wrong thing. Again. So just stick it back in the box and I'll return it tomorrow."

"You bought this? For me? With your own money?"

"I bought it. For you. With my own money."

"Oh." Kensi sat down on the bed and then realised her eyes on exactly the same level as Deeks' groin. "Oh my."

* * *

><p><em>Now, there is an image to conjure with...<em>  
><em>Exactly what has Kensi got planned for Deeks? More will be revealed... although I think Deeks has already revealed pretty much everything!<em>


	14. Chapter 14

Deeks was sure that it was not only his cheeks that started to burn. Both sets of them. As Kensi was sitting right on top of his boxers, he had no choice but to reach down for the towel. It was pretty pointless, because Kensi had already seen everything, at very close quarters, but even he had some limits – and he was pretty much right at the limit right now. So he grabbed the towel with considerable gratitude and wrapped it around his waist.

"Yeah, well now you know." He stalked over to the dresser and pulled open the underwear drawer. The sooner he was decently clothed, the better. Being virtually naked meant it was kind of tricky to try to maintain the moral high ground with any degree of dignity. And could he have made it any more obvious about how he felt? Talk about being right in Kensi's face.

Kensi wondered what he was talking about. Just when she thought she'd got to know him, he went and did something like this, something that threw her completely off balance. What exactly was she supposed to know? The more she saw of Deeks, the more time she spent with him – the less Kensi felt that she knew him. She did know enough about him to realise that he was seriously pissed off right now and that some amends had to be made.

"Deeks?"

"What?" Would it look totally stupid if he tried to put on his boxers with the towel still around his waist? Probably.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For earlier – for looking after me." Kensi realised that she felt completely safe with him, that she could trust him. And that Deeks was just as vulnerable as she was. They both tried to disguise it, but deep down they were two messed-up people, hiding behind carefully constructed veneers. Kensi had to be the best at everything, so that nothing could hurt her again. And Deeks had to laugh everything off, so that the barbs were deflected by a joke. Only they knew how much life could hurt and how deep the scars really were.

"Yeah, well. We're partners." Deeks shrugged with as much nonchalance as a man wearing only a towel and holding his underwear in one hand while in the presence of a beautiful (and fully clothed) woman can muster.

"And for the necklace." Kensi unfastened the catch and held it around her neck, admiring herself in the mirror. "It's really lovely. Can you help me?"

The boxer shorts fell unnoticed onto the floor, and Deeks was standing behind her in a flash, fastening it around her neck. "I saw it -and I thought of you." The flashes of light coming from the crystals were nothing compared to the stars in her eyes. Kensi had this ability to get to him in ways that no other woman ever had.

"Thank you." Kensi leant back briefly against him, and the ends of her hair tickled his stomach. She caught a glimpse of their reflections and thought how good they looked together – how very right they looked.

"You're welcome." Deeks bowed his head briefly and kissed her on the top of her head and then removed himself before he was tempted any further – or his towel fell down. Or both. "You want to let me get dressed now?"

"Don't tell me you're embarrassed, Deeks?"

Now, why on earth would he possibly be embarrassed about being naked in front of his partner, Deeks wondered. His partner, who blew alternatively hot and cold and insisted on calling him by his surname, like he was some sort of social inferior? Kensi only ever called him 'Marty' when she was either drunk or asleep and that had to mean something, didn't it? Everyone else in the team got called by their first names - even Callen, who didn't even have a name, just an initial. He probably liked that, now that Deeks came to think about it – probably thought it made him sound like a character from a James Bond movie. G - the international man of mystery. What a pity it just didn't sound the same if you said 'the name's Deeks – Marty Deeks.' Maybe you had to be British for that to work? And 'Marty' was kind of a kiddy name anyway, a hangover from his extreme youth. Only it was rather too late to change his name at this late stage.

"Me? Embarrassed?" The best line of offense was defence, after all.

"Yeah, stupid question, I know. Half of LA has probably seen you in the all-together." Kensi smiled wryly at herself in the mirror and left the room. Every time he let her get a bit closer, Deeks turned around and pushed her away again.

Deeks thought he'd probably just been insulted, but as usual with Kensi, he really didn't know what to think. Except that she turned him on more than any other woman he'd ever met. At first he'd thought it was the excitement of the chase, the verbal sparring with the always present frisson of sexual tension. And then they had made love and he'd realised it was more than that – it was Kensi. It was everything about her. And that was so bad. He was in way over his head and he was loving every single second of it. Even when he was pissed at her, he was still fascinated by her.

* * *

><p>"You shaved." Kensi looked at him accusingly and only just managed to restrain herself from stroking the newly smooth (and disturbingly boyish) cheek in admiration.<p>

"I shaved. I do that sometimes." Admittedly, not that often, but it wasn't as it he didn't know one end of a razor from the other.

"You look nice." He really did - black wool trousers, crisp white shirt and even a tie. Kensi couldn't help thinking that Deeks scrubbed up really nicely. But she had rather a soft spot for him in his natural, rather dishevelled state too. Deeks just had that sort of effect on her.

"Yeah, well I thought I should make an effort. Didn't want you to be ashamed of me." He shrugged into a jacket and then pulled on a parka, which rather detracted from the overall effect. "I got you a coat too, by the way." He produced another carrier bag, one that he'd left in the hallway.

"I'm not ashamed of you," Kensi protested. "I never have been. Well, not since that time when you were dressed as a tramp. And you stank."

"It was the coat," he protested and watched as she pulled away the tissue paper swaddling the dark crimson velvet.

"You bought this? You chose it yourself?"

It looked even better on her than he had imagined, the colour almost matching her ruby lips and the material clinging to every curve of her incredible body. And for some reason, Deeks discovered he was even more turned on by Kensi fully clothed, than he had been by her naked. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that he was already mentally undressing her, with great care and incredible slowness.

"Did I do okay?"

"You did better that okay. It's just gorgeous." Kensi buttoned it up and then twirled around, watching admiringly as the full skirt flew out around her. Impetuously, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly. "Thank you – again."

That made it three times – she'd thanked him three times today, Deeks thought. That had to mean something, didn't it? It had to be lucky, some sort of omen. Maybe tonight was going to be his lucky night after all?

And for a whole two hours, it looked as if it might be just that. It was a beautiful night: crisp and clear, with the stars looking particularly bright – the sort of stars you could make a wish on. It was the sort of night that seemed to invite confidences and engender closeness. Kensi looked across the table at Deeks, and let herself imagine, just for a moment, that they really were a couple, that all this was more than just an elaborate exercise to try to find out some information about a brutally murdered Marine. Deeks was leaning towards her, telling some story about his college days and emphasising points with his hands – those mobile hands, with long flexible fingers – and the candlelight burnished his hair with gold. It would have been so easy to fall in love with him. Only this wasn't Deeks – it was Robert. And she wasn't Kensi – she was Kim. The ex-dancer with a slightly shady past. And they weren't really a couple – they were just partners, who happened to have slept together. It was nothing more than that. It was just about sex and it wasn't going to happen again.

The club was an exercise in contrasts. Where the restaurant had been all about privacy and discreet luxury, this was all about opulence and hedonism. The dance floor was crowded and the mirrors reflected back the flushed faces of the dancers, and the music was so loud Kensi could feel the floor vibrate beneath her feet.

"Want to dance?" She had to shout to make herself heard.

"Why not?" Deeks loosened his tie and followed her onto the dance floor, hoping desperately he wasn't about to make a fool of himself.

Kensi whirled around and grabbed hold of his hand. "Come on, loosen up. This is supposed to be fun!"

She made it look fun, that was for sure. Kensi was giving full reign to her inner funk and getting down and dirty with the best of them. In no time flat, the other dancers moved to give her more room, while Deeks stood feeling increasing like a spare part, surplus to requirements. Not that anyone noticed him, for the very good reason that they were all too busy watching Kensi dancing, with hair flying and hips gyrating. It was incredible - like she was finally giving vent to all her pent up emotions. So he could ski? So what. Kensi could dance – she could really dance. Deeks knew that just about every man in the club was watching her and wanting her. And that included him. Not to mention the group of guys standing by the bar. The ones with Marine buzz cuts and impressive physiques.

"That was amazing!" Kensi shook her hair out of her eyes and let herself be led over to a table. "I'd forgotten how much I love dancing." She was glowing, and seemed to epitomise sexual allure.

Deeks was pretty sure that nobody who had seen her dance tonight would forget it in a hurry. He was going to have that image imprinted on his mind forever, no doubt about it. "Group of Marines by the bar. Could be worth getting to know them." If only they had chosen somewhere else. If only he could just take Kensi back to the lodge and carry her through to the bedroom again, and this time he would not be a gentleman. This time he would make love to her in a dozen different ways. Only it wasn't going to happen like that, because they were here to work. And this was all just pretence. It wasn't real – none of it was real.

Kensi gave the briefest of nods, and took a quick look at the group. "I see them. And I think it's time I gave them something to think about, don't you?" Before Deeks could say a word, she leant forward coquettishly, pulling her blouse down off her shoulders. "Don't you like it when I dance, Bobo?"

"It's not that, Kimmie. You know it isn't." Deeks managed a weak smile.

"So why won't you dance with me? There's plenty of guys who will." She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Or maybe I should give you a private dance? How would that work for you?"

This was not in Deeks' plans. He was not prepared for Kensi to unfasten her long, black skirt and then pull it off dramatically to reveal a pair of tiny scarlet hot pants that clung to her ass. He was certainly not prepared for the longest legs he'd ever seen to be revealed in their full glory, clad in sheer back pantyhose and shiny boots of leather. And he was certainly not prepared for a spotlight to be directed onto him, as Kensi straddled his legs and began to writhe around. He knew that Kensi could dance, but Deeks had no idea she could dance like this. Her pelvis was going one way and her breasts were going another and her hair was going everywhere and goddammit, she was so sexy and he wanted her so much.

"It's working," he said, in the vague hope that she would get the hint, but the clapping and cries from the crowd only served to spur Kensi on to further. Everyone in the club was looking at her and she knew that all the men wanted here and that made her feel so powerful. How could Deeks just sit there? Why didn't he do something?

"Come on, Bobo – this is supposed to be fun. Don't you know how to have fun?" She was sitting on his lap now, hands clasped around his neck and staring into his eyes, before tilting her head back so that her hair touched her ass and her breasts pointed heavenward.

"If doesn't – I do!" One of the Marines came forward. "Is this a private orgy, or can anyone join in?"


	15. Chapter 15

"Get lost," Deeks managed to say, through gritted teeth. He was hanging onto his temper by a mere thread. Kensi was playing with fire here: she had lit the blue touch-paper and he was burning for her.

"You want to make me?" Clearly the Marine Corps had chosen this particular specimen for his brawn, rather than his brains, as he didn't have the sense to get the hell out of Dodge.

Kensi wriggled suggestively once again and then insinuated herself off Deeks' lap. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed. Getting a lap dance from Kensi had to rate right up there with his all-time best experiences – but only if it was in private. Taking place in a club, in front of a baying mob and knowing this was Kensi acting out a part was not the same – not the same at all. What the hell was she playing at – turning him on like this and then leaving him in the lurch? There were other ways to make contact with those Marines after all. Or was he just thinking with his gonads and concerned with his pride? Probably, Deeks thought. He should be used to Kensi knocking him back by now – it was just that he'd thought things were going to be different, and here he was playing the part of the hapless fool once again.

"How about you buy me a drink and we can talk about it?" Kensi looked at the Marine speculatively. "Think you can manage that?"

"Kimmie – honey. Don't be like that," Deeks whined, trying desperately to stay in character, when all he wanted to do was to punch the Marine into the middle of next week.

"Bobo – you might not want me, but there are plenty of men who do. Why don't you think about that while I have a drink with this lovely young man?" Kensi slipped her arm through the Marine's and walked over to the bar, her butt swaying provocatively in the red satin shorts, like two hard-boiled eggs in a handkerchief.

Okay – so that was how she wanted to play it: Kimmie the hot stuff, and Bobo the sadly ineffective, henpecked husband. Great. They probably all thought he was impotent too. But sometimes you were handed a role and you just had to run with it, and much as Deeks disliked this particular characterisation, he had to admit that Kensi's instincts were good. She'd get more information if Bobo was safely removed from the scene, so he escaped into the relative sanity of the men's room, aware of a host of pitying eyes upon him. Okay, so he was now the cuckold. Well, that was fine, Deeks thought, he could play that part. AS long as he didn't have to play it for too long.

"Jenner just can't help himself."

The voice startled Deeks out of his reverie. "Jenner?" he asked, zipping up his fly and moving over to the wash basins.

"The gorilla that poached your girl." The speaker had to be all of 22, maybe 23 on a good day. Judging from his hair cut he was another Marine: he had that gung-ho look about him and Deeks could just see him running around a parade ground chanting those inane slogans. It was a world a million miles removed from his own experience.

"My wife." Deeks took a long look at himself in the mirror and breathed deeply in an effort to forcibly remind himself to stay in character. "We just got married. We're on honeymoon."

"Oh. Congratulations – I guess." The younger man gave him a pitying look that Deeks resented.

"Thanks. That's just Kimmie – she's kind of enthusiastic."

The Marine's eyes widened at that statement. "Maybe she should learn to curb her enthusiasm a bit?"

"Maybe your buddy should learn to keep his hands off?" Deeks suggested, as mildly as possible, given the circumstances. He found that he really didn't want to think about Jenner pawing at Kensi, slobbering over her. "Are you guys up here for long?"

"Just a couple of days. A buddy of ours was killed and we came to say goodbye to him."

This sounded promising. And it just invited a bit of fishing. "Sorry about that. Did it happen on your last tour of duty?"

"Naw. That would have been easier. No, he was on leave. It happened right here in Tahoe."

Okay, maybe they had been really good friends, which would explain the trip up here, only this guy didn't seem particularly cut up about things. None of them did. More probably, there was something more to their supposedly poignant pilgrimage to Tahoe. With any luck, Kensi would have found out some more information from Jenner. Deeks hoped so. He wanted to get out of the club as quickly as possible, and not just because Kensi had got him decidedly hot under the collar.

Back at the bar, it looked as if Jenner was really enjoying getting to know Kim. He might even have been hot under the collar as well, only he was too muscle-bound to have a discernible neck, and was wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt in any case. He probably couldn't get a shirt with a big enough collar to fasten around the solid column of flesh and sinew that connected his head to his body. But the thing that was most noticeable about Jenner was the fact that his hand was caressing Kensi's ass. Every time she slapped it away, it returned again, along with a lascivious look on Jenner's red, shiny face.

"I've asked you nicely," Kensi said. "So don't make me get mad, alright?" Deeks could see all the warning signs: the flash of her eyes, the slight narrowing of her lips and the way she shifted her weight, so that she was ready to kick the crap out of him.

"You're cute when you're riled up." Jenner was not only dumb enough to leave his hand exactly where it was, he actually made matters worse by squeezing. He seemed to think that Kensi's warning was her version of foreplay.

"You heard the lady." Deeks' voice was filled with a cold anger and it was in a much lower register that usual. He wasn't able to think too clearly right now, all he could think of was that pig was pawing Kensi and there was no way he was going to let her stand there and take it.

Jenner didn't even bother to turn around. "She aint no lady, pal."

"Want to say that again?" Deeks invited, ignoring the look on Kensi's face. He could feel the anger building inside him and threatening to spill over. Sure, he'd had a few glasses of wine, but from the way Jenner slurred his words, he'd been drinking fairly steadily all evening. So what if the guy had four inches and fifty pounds advantage on him? Deeks had had about as much as he was prepared to take. Now it as time to start giving back.

"Sure. She aint no lady. You want to spit your teeth out onto the floor?" Jenner spun around, his hand already clenched into a fist. He just didn't expect to turn straight into Deeks' knee, which connected solidly with his balls, and then continued the assault by continuing to travel brutally upwards as Deeks ended the kick by flexing his ankle, doubling the intensity of the attack. Jenner felt as if his testicles were travelling straight up into his torso, before finally coming to a stop somewhere in the region of his stomach, all in one sickening, vomit-inducing motion. He sagged over, as all the breath his lungs was propelled outwards in an anguished gush and the blood drained visibly from his face.

"How about you apologise to the lady?" Deeks grabbed hold of Jenner's arm and doubled it up behind his back, applying just enough pressure so that his shoulder screamed with raw agony as the joint threatened to dislocate.

"Sorry." The word was barely audible, as Jenner tried desperately to get some air into his lungs and to ignore the crescendos of pain rippling through his groin.

"Not good enough."

Jenner yelped as a solid punch connected with his kidneys and set up yet another reverberation of agony. "Sorry, lady."

"That's enough," Kensi said sharply. She'd seen that particular look on Deeks' face a couple of times before, and each time it had been like looking at a stranger. When he gave vent to the full force of his fury, she felt as if she did not know him at all. All that anger frightened her. "Let him go. He's not worth it." There was a warning edge to her voice that made Deeks take heed.

The tension seemed to seep out of him, and Deeks relaxed his grip on Jenner's arm, so that he collapsed forward onto his knees. He looked at the group of men, who were standing with their jaws dropping. At least they had the sense not to jump in, for which he was truly grateful. Taking done Jenner was one thing, but add another five Marines into the mix and Deeks knew he would have been toast, no matter how much they had drunk.

"Your friend here needs to learn some manners. Maybe I should have a word with his CO? He's kind of bringing the name of the Corps into disrepute. Seems like they let any scum in these days. Standards really are slipping." He just couldn't resist it.

Kensi could see the other Marines bristling with indignation and she flung herself into his arms. The last thing they needed was for Deeks to be beaten to a pulp and he was practically inviting them to fight. "Take me home, Bobo!" she begged dramatically.

"Whatever you want, Princess." It did not escape Deeks' notice that Kensi was digging the spiked heel of one of her boots into his foot.

"You're my hero, Bobo," Kensi cooed, as they made their way back out. "Because I didn't have the whole situation under control, did I?"

"I was looking out for you."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I didn't need you to?"

Deeks didn't look at her, he just kept on walking until he was outside and able to breath in the cold, fresh air and clear his head a little, get rid of the red mist of anger that had burst into flower when he'd seen Jenner pawing Kensi like she was some piece of meat, nothing more than a warm body.

"Did it ever occur to you that one day you're going to get in over your head, Kensi? And that maybe I won't be there?"

"You'll always be there." Kensi pulled the velvet coat close around her and shivered despite its warmth. LA seemed a million miles away. "Always. I know that."

"What if I'm not?" he flung back. "What if I'd been jumped in the men's room and that guy and his buddies took you out back and gang raped you?"

"We take risks every day of our lives, Deeks. It's what we do." And she wanted to say that was never going to happen, but Kensi had never had any illusions about some of the decoy jobs she was asked to pull off and knew that rape was often a very real possibility. She just didn't allow herself to think about it, because the day she did was the day she would have to resign "And I know you've got my back - always. But this time, I really did have it under control."

Deeks was standing with his back to her, staring into the darkness and the wind was blowing so hard it was plastering his shirt to his body, as his parka lying forgotten on the ground.

"I don't want anything to happen to you." The wind almost took his words away, but Kensi heard them clearly and they rang out in her heart.

"Nothing's going to happen." She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "Because you've got my back, Marty. Just like I've got yours. So how about you take me home and we can talk about this properly, before you freeze to death?"

She could feel some of the tension leave his body and when he spoke, it was with the old familiar lightness. "I'm trying for the sympathy card here, Kensi. My show of macho force didn't impress you much, so I thought maybe I'd turn myself into a popsicle so you'd take pity on me and give me a bath."

Deeks clearly had his defensive shield back up and in full working order, Kensi thought. The mask had slipped for a brief moment and he'd allowed his fears to surface. But if that was the way he wanted to play it, then that was fine, because she could think on her feet with the best of them and she knew how to turn a situation to her advantage.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a hot shower – for two. After I've given you a private lap dance. A proper one this time."

He turned around, with a wide smile on his face, like she'd just promised him nirvana. "That really is an offer I can't refuse."

"So put your coat on, Deeks, and take me home so I can show you exactly how I feel about things." It seemed to Kensi that the only way they could be completely truthful and open with each other was when they were making love. "And, by the way – just for reference – you are very sexy when you're angry."

"You had to wait until I've calmed down to tell me that, didn't you?" he protested and let his head fall down onto her shoulder.

"It's all about the timing, Deeks – didn't anyone ever tell you that?"

He knew that. He knew all about that. Deeks knew that Kensi only ever called him Marty when her defences were down. So what if it had just slipped out? He was pretty sure that it meant she cared.

"I'll show you what good timing I've got," he mumbled into her hair, and then turned his head, seeking her lips.

"I can't wait."

Kensi's lips were as red as winter berries in the snow and they tasted even sweeter. Kissing her was like having a little taste of heaven. And knowing there was more to come made it even better. They walked off to the car, arms around each other, just as Jenner and his buddies exited the club.

"She was so up for it. Until that jerk came along."

"That jerk's her husband, Jenner. Stop thinking with your dick for once."

"Jenner's not going to be able to do much else with it for the next week. Didn't you see how he was walking?"

"Shut up, all of you. We're here to do a job, remember? We managed to avoid those two NCIS agents around town this afternoon, and you have to go draw attention to yourself tonight, Jenner. So just shut up and keep your pants buttoned, okay?"

Jenner brought up the rear, muttering mutinously. Once the job was over, he was going to hook up with that piece of skirt and finish what he'd barely started. And if her long-haired pretty-boy husband didn't like it, then Jenner was going to blow his head clear off his shoulders. Maybe he'd make him watch first of all, and then kill him? The possibilities were endless, but Jenner knew he was going to get his revenge. Nobody humiliated him like that.

* * *

><p>"So – a private lap dance?" Deeks sat down expectantly.<p>

"You'll have to pay."

"Fair enough." He reached for his wallet, but Kensi forestalled him.

"Not like that. I want the truth."

"You want the truth?"

"I want the truth. About you. About what makes you scared. What really drives you. I want to know all about the real Marty Deeks."

"You sure you can handle that? You might not like what you hear."

"I can handle it." Kensi placed her hands on his knees and looked at him thoughtfully. "No joking this time, okay? No hiding behind the smart remarks. I'll dance for you, but only if you tell me about yourself."

"What do I have to do to get you to tell me the truth about you?" he countered.

"It's not that interesting." Kensi prevaricated.

"It is to me. Everything about you is interesting to me." Deeks let his hands run down the smooth length of her leg. "Interesting and tantalising."

"Do you promise?" Kensi let her fingers trace the line of his jaw and shivered as she remembered how he kissed.

"I promise to tell the truth." Of course, what he said would depend on what questions she asked. And he'd been careful not to promise to tell the whole truth.

"Then I'll dance for you." Kensi went over to the sound dock, searched through her IPod briefly and then grabbed the remote as she sauntered back. "Are you sitting comfortably?"

Deeks nodded. He was as comfortable as he could be, given that he was already highly aroused. Kensi in black leather boots and red shorts tended to have that effect on him. Kensi by firelight, in private in black leather boots and red shorts was like being propelled into the middle of the best fantasy ever.

"Then I'll begin."

Kensi pressed the remote and the music began – a percussive beat, followed by a rolling guitar riff that built up gradually and relentlessly as she began to dance her way across the floor. Dancing was her solace, her way of making all the bad in the world go away. After a crap day at work, she would hit the clubs and dance away her heartbreak. Dancing was her saviour and she was a great dancer, moving instinctively to the rhythm and abandoning herself to the music. But she had never just danced for an audience of one – until now.

_Your lights are on, but you're not home  
>Your mind is not your own<br>Your heart sweats, your body shakes  
>Another kiss is what it takes<em>

Deeks looked like a man in a trance as she tore open his shirt, not caring that the buttons went flying across the room and planted a kiss on his chest, leaving a blood-red imprint of her lips, like a brand that seemed to burn into his skin. Kensi took a step back and turned around, shaking her booty for all it was worth. She knew she had a great ass, and what was more, she knew that Deeks thought she had a great ass. The man had good taste.

_You can't sleep, you can't eat  
>There's no doubt, you're in deep<br>Your throat is tight, you can't breathe  
>Another kiss is all you need<em>

Turning around, Kensi saw that Deeks had a slightly stunned expression on his face and decided to press the advantage home. She planted one stiletto heeled boot carefully in his lap and began to slowly unzip it.

_Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah  
>It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough<br>You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love_

Deeks reached out and pulled at her blouse, the flimsy material parting easily and falling open. When Kensi reached out to pull the remnants off, he reached down and continued to unzip the boot and then removed it. Kensi flexed her toes and then let him dispose of the second boot in similar fashion, running her fingers through his hair as he did so. Finally, she sat astride his legs and tugged off his ruined shirt.

_You see the signs, but you can't read  
>You're runnin' at, a different speed<br>You heart beats, in double time  
>Another kiss, and you'll be mine a one track mind<em>

The kiss went on for much longer this time, it was much more urgent and seeking. Deeks' reached behind to undo her bra and when he felt the softness of her breasts against his bare chest and felt the love of her caress he let out a sigh of contentment.

* * *

><p><em>Addicted to Love lyrics by Robert Palmer and Robert Allen.<em>


	16. Chapter 16

_This chapter sees randy plot bunny once again.  
>that means adult content, folks!<em>

* * *

><p><em>You can't be saved<br>Oblivion is all you crave  
>If there's some left for you<br>You don't mind if you do_

Kensi stood back up, standing there in just those shorts, with her hair tumbling forward onto her breasts as the snowflake pendant flashed brilliantly between them. The music continued to play as she rotated her hips slowly and suggestively, before bending forward once again to kiss him, leaving another dark-red memento, this time on his collarbone. Deeks reached out, feeling that he could never get enough of her, but Kensi danced out of reach. This was one game that they were going to play on her terms. For once she had Deeks exactly where she wanted him and she was going to drive him crazy.

_Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah  
>It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough<br>You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love_.

It was true, Deeks realised: he was addicted to her. Like any addict, he craved her, could not get enough of her, could think only of her. The time for resistance was past. And this game had gone on for long enough – it needed to be brought to fruition, because he needed her just as much as a junkie craved his next fix. This time, when Kensi's hips swivelled towards him, Deeks reached out and caught her within the snare of his arms, and found that the smooth skin of her stomach was just as delectable to kiss as any other part of her.

_Might as well face it, you're addicted to love._

Reaching round, he found the zipper and slid it down, so that the satin material floated gracefully down to the ground and Kensi stepped neatly out of the discarded garments and then peeled off her pantyhose in one sinuous motion, like a snake shedding its skin.

"So I'm not the only one who goes commando." Deeks raised one eyebrow as he looked appreciatively at her, admiring the taut, toned body that gleamed in the firelight. She was like a symphony of perfect composition, all coiled up energy and passion just waiting to be released.

"If you can't beat them, join them." There must be something about the mountain air, Kensi thought, something that made otherwise sane women lose their minds, because what else could explain the fact that she was dancing for Deeks – dancing naked for Deeks? And it felt wonderful. She had never felt so empowered, so incredibly sensuous. It must be the air, because it couldn't be Deeks – could it? No man had ever made her feel like this before.

_Might as well face it, you're addicted to love._

"I might as well face it: I'm addicted to you." Deeks stood up and placed his hands gently on her hips. "You might just want to stop doing that, before you send me into overdrive."

_Might as well face it, you're addicted to love._

The music was still playing in the background, but the only thing Kensi was conscious of was how close Deeks was standing and that the look in his eyes was oddly tender. And she knew that she'd never wanted anyone quite as much as she wanted him right now. He was like a drug in her system: once tasted, once experienced it was impossible to forget. Just the touch of his hands was enough to set all her senses tingling with anticipation.

_Might as well face it, you're addicted to love._

"This is crazy." Their faces were only inches apart and Kensi put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. It was getting difficult breath.

"Completely mad." Kensi's lips were the reddest things Deeks had ever seen: rich and delectable and just begging to be kissed. And who was he to resist?

At first, he barely brushed her lips with his own, and then gradually increased the pressure as Kensi leaned into him and those amazing breasts were pressing against his chest, causing a jolt that seemed to reverberate throughout his body. That just one touch should feel so good, should invade his mind, his whole being like this was little short of incredible.

Kensi's lips parted slowly and his tongue flickered against the smooth surface of her teeth. Kissing her was like falling head first into a wonderland of sensations and their tongues seemed to create molten fire. He deepened the kiss and found he was moaning in pleasure as her tongue did the most amazing things that threatened to put his spine out of place.

Kensi found that she was literally hanging onto Deeks as the kiss went on and on. She discovered that she couldn't get enough of him, that she almost wanted to devour him with passion. The long, slow burn of the evening had built up to a point where she craved release and she found herself instinctively pressing against him, almost begging him.

_Might as well face it, you're addicted to love._

This was crazy. Deeks had never felt like this before. It was as if his entire existance had been a mere prelude to this; as if he had been waiting all his life for Kensi and for this particular moment. The prospect of making love to her tonight seemed more exciting than anything he had ever contemplated. Even their first time was nothing compared to this, because he had already had a taste of how good it was going to be. The prolonged foreplay, both verbal and physical had taken him to a new pitch. Kensi wasn't just messing with his head, she was in his head – she was in every single fibre of his being and it was only just beginning. It was only just beginning and yet Deeks knew that he never wanted it to end.

"Hold on," he whispered, and Kensi clasped her arms around his neck as he eased her up into his arms, relishing the feel of her silky smooth skin, and started to walk towards the bedroom. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

"No." She leant back trustingly, feeling completely safe in his arms. "So why don't you start?"

"I might not be able to stop once I begin."

"We've got all night." Kensi sighed as he laid her down gently on the head and stretched out, looking like some exotic wild cat, all long limbs, tumbled hair, eyes dark with passion and arms that were reaching out for him.

"Your breasts." Deeks let his fingers dance almost idly across them, and then underneath, curving his hand until he cupped each one. "You have the most beautiful breasts. High. And full. And lush." He punctuated each sentence with a kiss and then he let one finger circle lazily around each nipple, watching intently as they responded instantly under his touch and Kensi let out a low moan of delight that almost sounded like a purr of pleasure as she arched her back.

"Keep talking."

"You just want me to talk?" His voice teased and his fingers did likewise, moving with infinitesimal slowness, one going down towards her stomach, the other to caress the length of her outstretched neck, to cup around her head and raise it up for another kiss that threatened to drown him in sweetness and unrestrained lust.

"Not exactly." Kensi luxuriated in his touch, and at the same time found herself shivering in anticipation, needing him to touch her more intimately and yet knowing he was deliberately prolonging the moment. Deeks seemed to know her every need, and could play her like a master musician, bringing forth the sweetest notes. She was aware she was completely pliable to his touch and yet revelled in being able to abandon herself so fully.

"Good, because I don't think I could restrain myself."

"Don't feel you have to hold back," Kensi invited, and slowly moved her legs, parting her thighs slightly, silently inviting him.

Deeks seized the golden opportunity. "Your skin. Have I told you how much I love your skin? The scent of you. The feel of you." Again, he ended each phrase with a kiss, starting just below her belly button and progressing downwards, so that Kensi felt her anticipation building up to an almost frenzied level as his lips moved ever nearer.

"Have I told you how much I love you kissing me?" she managed to say, and then felt all her breath leave her body in a single instant as he continued to kiss his way down her body. "And when you kiss me like that… when you kiss me there… Don't stop."

"Wasn't planning to."

The touch of his mouth and the sensations his tongue evoked were making Kensi's head spin. Her hands were clutching the sheets, and her head was forced right back into the pillows as she tilted her pelvis up towards him and he grabbed her ass with both hands.

"Deeks? Now. Please." He was going to push her right over the edge in a minute.

He raised his head and grinned at her. "I haven't told you how much I love your legs yet." He tickled her inner thigh and Kensi lifted her leg and swung it over his back.

"Tell me later."

* * *

><p><em>as before, lyrics for Addicted to Love are by Robert Palmer and Robert Allen.<em>


	17. Chapter 17

_as before - randy plot bunny has got his teeth into this scene and no mistake._  
><em>So that means adult content...<em>

* * *

><p>He was fumbling with his belt, with fingers made clumsy by the urgency, desperate to shuck off his pants and silently cursing his sudden ineptitude. Of all the times to start behaving like a gauche kid, and he had to pick this one. Any second now and the moment would be lost… Deeks found himself starting to panic.<p>

"Let me." Kensi's fingers were cool and competent, dexterously unbuckling the recalcitrant belt and dealing with the button and fly of his pants in seconds, all the time gazing deep into his eyes. She let her hands linger for a moment on the smooth skin of his back before slipping them down over his butt, easing the pants downwards at the same time. "You have the best butt, Marty."

A somewhat inelegant wriggle and his legs were finally free. "Really?" She wanted to talk – now? He'd been right – the moment was definitely gone. Or was it? Because now Kensi was caressing his butt, and letting her fingers dip down lower. And she'd called him Marty again. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to all men. Deeks didn't think this night was going to be peaceful, but he certainly felt good and he definitely had the will.

"Oh yes. Your butt is really cute. And very firm." The times Kensi had admired his butt were too many to count.

The things her fingers were doing made Deeks clench his glutes tighter than he had ever clenched them before in his life, and at the same time his he was raising his pelvis as Kensi's other hand insinuated itself between their bodies.

"You don't say?" There was only a very slight tremor in his voice, which Deeks felt was pretty good, considering the things she was doing. In fact, it was little short of a miracle that he could speak at all.

"Oh, but I do. I most definitely do say. Mind you, I'm not sure I don't prefer this." There was a wicked smile on Kensi's face as she watched him try very hard to stay in control, shutting his eyes. She could feel the tension in his body as her hand curved around him, feel the urgent need and she relished the feeling of power and the desire she could induce and she watched the way his head dropped down as her hand slowly caressed him.

"It's working for me." It was hard to speak when you could hardly breath and your mind and body were both screaming for one thing – fulfilment. No use trying to recite any lines now, because Deeks couldn't concentrate on anything except the very real present.

She was moving beneath him, moving and guiding him towards her at the same time, in one smooth motion. Deeks adjusted his weight as he sailed into her, moving as surely as a ship gliding home to haven; hearing the small grunt of pleasure Kensi could not restrain and then forcing himself to remain perfectly still. Kensi's eyes were deep and mysterious, they seemed to hold all the mysteries of the universe in their dark depths and her gaze held him compelled, just as her body held him in its tight grip.

"Me too."

Kensi closed her eyes as he began to rock slowly back and forwards, and gradually began to move in languorous counterpoint, letting the sensations start to build and roil in ever-increasing turmoil until she could think no more and was acting purely on instinct, gripping onto his broad shoulders with her hands, clinging around his waist with her legs, gripping him so tightly and holding him within her that Deeks thought they would be melded together for eternity. Their bodies were hot and slick, gliding against each other with each deepening pass, and they were gasping with the effort, the ecstacy. And then it was as if their whole world hovered on the edge of an abyss, faltering for a second before soaring upwards towards an explosion of light. Kensi gasped and then wondered if the strangled cry she heard had really come from her throat.

Collapsing down bonelessly, Deeks buried his head in the crook of Kensi's neck, feeling her racing pulse against his cheek and hearing her tearing breath brush across his face. Her damp skin had a salty taste and she lay with her hair scattered around her on the pillow in a dark cloud, one arm loosely flung over his shoulders, still unwilling to let him go.

"Talk to me," Kensi invited, once she was sure she was going to live. She let her fingers tangle in his hair, watching him watching her; seeing her reflection in his eyes and hoping she would always be there.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?" Deeks started to nuzzle into her neck, and then ran his tongue around the rim of her ear, feeling the ripple of pleasure this induced travel the length of her supine body, which was still covered by his own. This felt as close to heaven as he was ever going to get.

"I want to talk about you. The real you." Kensi tugged gently at the hair at the nape of his neck. "Look at me, Deeks."

"How come I'm Deeks again?" he complained. "It's different when you call me Marty."

"Different? How?"

"Different in a good way. Like you're soft and warm, instead of cold and spiky. Like you want me, maybe even care about me a bit." He moved his head, unwilling to meet her gaze, to see the hurt realisation in her eyes.

"You think I don't care?" She swatted him lightly on the back of the head and then pinched his butt for good measure. "You're Marty in my dreams. And sometimes you make my dreams come true."

He thought about this for a long moment. She dreamt about him? Really? "I'm an idiot, aren't I?" It didn't matter what Kensi called him – did it?

"You're an idiot. But you're my idiot." Reaching up, Kensi kissed him. "This is real – this is us. You and me."

"Really?" The familiar spark was back in his eyes, along with the teasing note, but there was still an underlying note of uncertainty.

"Really and truly. Why? Don't you think this is real?"

Deeks shifted position, so that he was lying beside her and then enfolded Kensi in his arms. "I guess I never let myself believe in it."

Snuggling in, Kensi dropped a small kiss on his chest. "Believe in what – love?" It was easier to talk about such things in the dark, when they didn't have to look at each other.

"In love. Whatever that is." The deepest sigh she had ever heard issued forth and Kensi felt his arms tighten about her. "You know about my family, right?"

"You shot your father when you were eleven. He was drunk and threatening you and your mom. He's dead and she keeps a newpaper cutting about you on her refrigerator." It wasn't a lot of information to have about someone she had worked with for a year and a half, Kensi realised, but then she hadn't exactly been forthcoming about her own past either.

"That's pretty much it. Except the days of that laminated article on the fridge were a long time ago," he admitted reluctantly.

"She's dead too, isn't she?" It started to make sense now – because there had been nobody for Deeks to name as his next of kin when he was shot, there was nobody he belonged to, until Hetty stepped into the breach.

"Yeah. She's dead too. And it wasn't that great when she was alive. Anyway, I went to live with Ray's parents after that. They were good people – wouldn't take a penny of the money we got from selling the house – just banked it all and told me it would pay for my college. Living with them was probably the nearest thing I had to a real family. They showed me what love was. But it wasn't the same. I wasn't really part of the family, no matter how much I pretended."

Kensi tried to reconcile her memories of feckless Ray Martingale with the sort of people who would willingly take in an orphaned adolescent – and a rather wild one at that, if the stories about joy-riding were true. It went some way to explaining Deeks' loyalty towards his old friend. But she knew exactly how it felt to be alone – how abandoned that made you feel – like you were adrift in a world where everyone else belonged. She'd known how that felt since she was fifteen, but at least Kensi knew she had the positive memories to sustain her. In the end, everyone needed to feel wanted, to know they belonged to someone. For fifteen years Kensi had never doubted that she was loved and for the first time she realised how very lucky she had been, what a matchless blessing she had been given, even if it was for too short a time.

"I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere. Believe me on that, Marty."

For so many long years he had fought commitment, preferring to avoid hurt by keeping emotional attachments firmly at arms' length, hiding the hurt with bravado, a joke and an easy smile. But in the still of the night, in a lodge deep amidst the pine forests and where the snow lay blanketing everything in a pure, unimpeachable cover of white, Marty Deeks discovered what he had been searching for in the warmth of Kensi's embrace. It was like coming home after a long absence to find all the lights blazing forth welcome, a warm fire burning and open arms that greeted him with love, understanding and complete acceptance. The past was another country and finally he was ready to start exploring new realms.

"I believe you, Kensi."

He'd trusted her with his life on so many occasions that it was impossible to count. Deeks had always known he could rely on Kensi when they were working together, because she was a professional. Deep down, in a part of his soul he kept firmly locked away, he had hoped they might one day forge another bond, but that had always seemed like an impossible dream. Only now it felt as if he could just stretch out and pull the stars down from the skies. A feeling of utter peace and contentment ebbed through his entire being, as he lay safe, wanted and needed. It had been a long time since Deeks had allowed himself that luxury.

"And I believe in you."

Kensi tightened her grip around him as he drifted slowly into sleep. She stared out of the window, cursing the cruel vagaries of fate that left such damage to a soul, such unseen and unhealed wounds. "I won't let you down, I won't leave you," she promised, looking down tenderly at the golden head lying on her breasts.

Tomorrow was another day, a day in which they could continue to learn about one another and to grow together.

"I didn't mean to fall for you like this, Marty," she whispered, seeing the small smile on his sleeping face that presaged sweet dreams. "But you're so very easy to love."

It was late now, and she was growing tired, with the languid relaxation that love-making left in its wake just starting to flow through her body and tug her towards slumber, and yet something made Kensi fight sleep. She wanted to stay awake just a little longer, to look at the face of her lover one more time and to wonder at a world that had brought her such incomparable joy. He belonged to her; and she belonged to him and all the rest was as nothing; it was like dandelion clocks floating in the breeze: ephemeral, insubstantial and mattering not one single iota. All that really mattered was right here in this room, in this bed.

She might as well face it: she was addicted to Deeks. And it felt fine. As she finally allowed sleep to consume her, Kensi was smiling.

* * *

><p><em>And I think that was very probably a welcome return for slushy plot bunny too.<em>  
><em>Which only means one thing - it can't be long before evil plot bunny hops into the plot...<em>

_Be warned - this is going to get very dark in a while._


	18. Chapter 18

It was like déjà vu: waking up in each other's arms, a tangled mass of limbs, but this time Kensi didn't pull away, but instead wriggled a little closer.

"Good morning, gorgeous." Lying with her head on his chest, she could feel the reverberation of Deeks' voice travel through her.

"You're awake?"

"No, I'm talking in my sleep, Kensi. Wait a minute – you're the one who does that, right?"

"Only sometimes." Kensi wondered what she'd said and then decided she didn't actually care.

"Make that every single night we've been together. It was kind of interesting to hear what you think about Sam."

"I don't think anything about Sam!"

"Yeah, right. Go tell that to the Marines." Deeks remembered his run in with one particular Marine last night and suppressed a shudder. He hadn't been exactly subtle, but he supposed it was in keeping with his identity as a newly-married man. Talk about embracing his inner caveman. And it wasn't as if Kensi couldn't look after herself. She could whip most men with one hand tied behind her back and looked incredibly hot at the same time, which was really a considerable skill. "Sam and Callen," he added.

"Don't tell them," Kensi pleaded.

"How about you make it worth my while?" Deeks lay flat on his back. "Take me – I'm yours. You can do whatever you want with me?"

"Because you're so irresistible, right?" Kensi reckoned if she played her cards right, she could distract him, maybe even make Deeks forget about it. And even if she wasn't successful, they'd still start the day off with mind-blowing sex, so it was a win-win situation.

"Can I help it if you think so?" He smirked happily. "And have I got a day planned for you?"

Kensi looked out of the window, and saw that it was snowing: fat, white flakes of snow that were dancing in the leaden sky. "Oh dear. Look. I guess that's put paid to your plans for teaching me how to ski. What a pity." Her voice rang with insincerity. A quick trip out for coffee, a little shopping and maybe some lunch – keeping up appearances and making a few more contacts, and then with any luck they could come back to the lodge for the rest of the afternoon. And who knew what might happen then? Who was she kidding ? Kensi knew exactly what would happen. And from what she knew about Deeks, it was going to happen pretty soon anyway.

"Who said anything about skiing?" Deeks pulled back the covers and Kensi saw she'd been correct in her assessment of him. "If you're very good, I might tell you."

"How about if I'm very bad?" Kensi walked into the bathroom and switched on the shower. "I wonder if this has got a massage setting?"

"How can you look so innocent and have such a dirty mind?" Deeks pulled the glass doors shut behind them. It was a bit of a tight fit, but he was sure they would manage somehow. Kensi was very agile, after all.

"It must be working with you." Kensi handed him the soap. "Maybe you should help me get cleaned up a bit, if you're so worried?"

* * *

><p>"Why do I have to put on a ski suit if we're not going skiing?" It seemed counter-intuitive to Kensi. "You promised me, Deeks – no more skiing?" She looked at him dubiously. "You just wanted to see me in this underwear, didn't you?"<p>

"That was part of the reason, sure." He took a long appreciative look. "And it looks just as good as I thought it would. It's just a pity there's no chance of a picture – for the honeymoon album, of course."

"Tell you what – I'll do you a deal." Kensi smiled seraphically. "You can take a photograph of me in my scanties if I can do the same for you. Mr "Man in Black". Channelling your inner Johnny Cash, are you?"

Deeks gave her a hard stare and pulled on his ski suit with as much haste as possible. "Get dressed. Or I'll tell Sam. And Callen," he added meaningfully.

Not for the first time, Kensi wished there she didn't have this awful habit of talking in her sleep. It wasn't her fault that for a while she had genuinely thought Sam and Callen were gay. It had been an honest mistake, dating back to her earliest days at the Mission, before she really knew either of them. And she was pretty sure she wasn't the only person who thought that behind the banter there was something that ran a little deeper. There still might be after all. Stranger things had happened. Just look at her and Deeks – who would have thought they would get together?

"This has to be a first, Deeks: you asking me to put clothes on. I'll be sure to mark it down I my diary."

"I thought you said it was a journal?"

"I write down dates and appointments in my diary. My journal's for my private thoughts."

"That's pretty much what Eric said. According to him, there's stuff in there that would make my hair curl."

"Is it too much to ask for just a little privacy – just once in a while?"

"You were the one who insisted on showering with me this morning."

Kensi tried to look pious. "I was just trying to be environmentally friendly and save water, that's all."

"Uh huh. Seeing as how you were so nice, I'll share what Eric said about your journal: he said you'd kill him if he told me."

"That's not exactly reassuring me." If Kensi thought for one second that Eric had really read her journal, he was a dead man. Only she was almost certain that Eric wouldn't have done that. Almost certain. If only she could be sure…

"Look at it this was," Deeks said jauntily, "You can take Eric out easily."

"I can take you out easily, Deeks," she reminded him.

"True. There's a good deal of Hetty's inner ninja in you, isn't there? Maybe I should go sleep in the other room tonight? And that way I won't have to listen to you talking about how you thought Sam and Callen make a such a cute couple."

Kensi sat down on the bed with a start. "I really said that?"

"Amongst other things. But they were about me, so that was okay." He held out a hand. "Come on – let's go hit the slopes."

"You promised me we weren't going skiing."

"Who said anything about skiing?"

"Snowboarding is almost the same as skiing." Only it looked even more dangerous, as far as Kensi could make out. And she definitely didn't want to find out first-hand.

Deeks shook his head. "No, it's not. It's completely different. Not that it matters, because we're not going snowboarding either."

"I'm not rolling about in the snow with you, Deeks." Although if it meant coming back here and having another steamy shower with him, Kensi wouldn't actually be that averse.

"That's what you think."

* * *

><p>"Sledging?" Kensi looked at him in disbelief. "We're going sledging?"<p>

"Purists like to call it tobogganing." Deeks looked at the sledge with considerable pride. "Easier that skiing. And it's big enough to take two." Which was more than could be said for the shower cubicle. He was pretty sure there was a huge bruise forming on his lower back where the shower controls had dug in. Who would have thought the massage setting on the shower head would make Kensi react quite so violently? He'd have to store that one up for future reference.

"I'm steering then."

"So does that make you Sam to my Callen?" Deeks raised his eyebrow again. "Kind of a reversal of our normal coupling, but I'm secure enough in my sexuality to cope."

"Please tell me I didn't say that too?" It was one thing for Deeks to know that she'd once thought Sam and Callen were having an affair, but to also find out that she'd rambled on at such length and in such detail was mortifying.

"I could – but I'd be lying. Because you did. Most definitely. Which is strange, because if I'd ever thought about it – which I haven't – I'd have said it was the other way around."

"Really?" Clearly spending so much time with Deeks was affecting her conversation patterns. "You think so?" So he'd thought about it too? Maybe there was something in this then?

"Definitely. It's the whole height difference."

"So how come Sam always makes Callen ride pillion then?"

"Because he can." Deeks saw two familiar figures walking towards them. "Speaking of little and large…"

"Don't say a word."

"Do I look like I've got a death wish?" Deeks pulled the sledge over to the treeline to where the two senior agents were waiting.

"That was quite some scene you put on at the club last night." Callen kept his voice studiously neutral. "Everyone's talking about it."

"Good. That was kind of the intention." Kensi made sure there was a careful distance between her and her partner.

"Is everything okay?" Something just seemed slightly off: Callen couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but there definitely seemed to be a different vibe between Kensi and Deeks today.

"Why wouldn't it be?" It might be his imagination, but did Deeks sound just a little bit too defensive? And why did they both look so shattered when he and Sam had been doing all the hard work? Something was definitely up between that pair, Callen thought. He'd stake his reputation on it.

"We're fine," Kensi soothed. "Just a cute young couple on honeymoon, about to go sledging."

"Cute?" Sam looked at Deeks and shook his head. "Not the word I'd have chosen. And why have you shaved?"

"Consideration for my bride's delicate skin?"

"Isn't that taking the pretence just a bit too far?" Sam wasn't sure he'd even seen Deeks clean shaven before.

"Deeks is into Method Acting," Kensi said hurridly.

"What she said." Deeks shrugged. "So I like to live the part – it's a bit like you and Callen, isn't it?"

Callen stared at him. "It's nothing like that. It's not remotely the same."

"Really?" Out of the corner of his eye, Deeks could see Kensi was blushing furiously and that just spurred him on. "Out of interest, if you and Sam were tobogganing, who would steer?"

"I would."

"No way, G. You'd be the pillion passenger – just like when we're on a bike."

"That's what I reckoned. Only Kensi didn't believe me"

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason. He's just being Deeks." Kensi tugged at his sleeve. "Come on – let's have at least on run before the snow gets much heavier." She dragged Deeks away before he could say anything more.

"That settles it. Now do you believe me, Sam?"

Sometimes Sam worried about Callen. His partner was clearly in need of some downtime because he was getting obsessed with this notion that there was something going on between Kensi and Deeks. And that was about as likely as Sam coming in with a full Afro, or having a hugely successful career as a rap artist – it just wasn't going to happen. Not in this lifetime. They made their way back down through the trees, a dark and shadowy landscape, where the thick branches filtered out most of the available light, so that it was sometimes difficult to see more than a few yards in any direction.

"Those NCIS guys don't give up, do they?" Jenner and his fellow Marine, Sommers, were careful to keep out of sight.

"And it's not just NCIS guys." Sommers said. "Remember that time they came sniffing round Pendleton a few months back? There was a female agent with them."

"Tight ass, long legs, great rack?"

"Exactly." They exchanged glances. "Once seen, never forgotten."

Jenner thumped his forehead. "I knew I'd seen her before. But last night, with her hair like that… she looked completely different. How could I be so dumb?"

"It's a set up," Sommers groaned. "He has to be part of the team tooAnd it's not worth it. Right now, they can't pin anything on us. We can still get out of here."

"And turn down the chance of more money than we'll make in ten years?" Jenner wasn't about to see the easiest money he'd nearly made slip away so readily. "You and the guys get the drugs. I'll take care of her." And he owed that blond guy, he owed him big time. He was going to pay and Jenner was going to enjoy every single minute of his revenge. His only dilemma was if he should kill the guy afterwards or if he should make him watch. He lumbered clumsily through the forest, leaving Sommers wondering what they hell he'd got himself into.

It had all seemed so easy, so completely foolproof, the perfect plan – right up to the point where Brady died. Jenner was a loose cannon – he always had been. And now it looked as if the death toll was about to get a whole lot longer. The only possible way out was to round up the rest of the guys and get the hell out of here. Jenner could face the consequences on his own. And as long as the rest of them stuck to the same story, nobody would be able to prove they had anything to do with it. It was rough justice, but Jenner was the one with blood on his hands. It was a pity about the couple, but sometimes these things couldn't be helped.

Hidden by the trees, Jenner watched Kensi and Deeks fooling around in the snow. For undercover agents, they looked awfully like a couple. But that just showed what lying, sneaking cheats they were. They deserved to die. After he'd had his fun, of course.

* * *

><p><em>told you evil plot bunny was lurking around<em>


	19. Chapter 19

Kensi was fretting as they got the sledge ready for their first run. "Callen knows something. Did you see the way he looked at us?"

"So he looked at you and his eyes widened? So what?" Deeks could understand the older man's reaction and it seemed perfectly normal to him. Kensi tended to have that sort of effect on a whole lot of people. To be honest, he'd never thought that Sam and Callen might be involved, mainly because he rather suspected Callen might have a soft spot for Kensi. Luckily, all Kensi's feelings towards him were strictly platonic.

"Did you have to say quite so much?"

"What did I say?" Given the circumstances and what he could have said, Deeks thought he had been rather circumspect.

"Too much." Kensi picked up a handful of snow and compressed it thoughtfully. "Way too much. Someone really should teach you to keep your mouth shut, Deeks."

"Someone – as in you?" He looked at the snowball. "Don't even think about it."

"Why would I want to smash a snowball in your face when I could kiss you?" She leant forward and kissed him thoroughly and then, just when he was sufficiently distracted, thrust the icy mass right down the back of his neck.

Deeks shuddered as the snowball broke into a hundred frozen fragments that started to trickle slowly down his spine in a chilly and very wet rivulet. "I'll get you for that."

"You've got to catch me first." Kensi started running and Deeks gave her a couple of seconds head start before tearing after her, his long legs effortlessly making up the distance between them and then hurled himself headlong at her legs, pinioning them and bringing her down with a soft thud onto the snow where they tumbled over a few times before finally coming rest.

"So I talk too much, do I?" he asked breathlessly.

"Far too much." Kensi lay spread-eagled on the snow, laughing up at him.

"Fair enough." Deeks hovered over her. "How about you just keep kissing me? Every time you want me to stop talking, just kiss me. That would work – wouldn't it?"

"Not in front of Sam and Callen it wouldn't."

"Maybe they are gay? Maybe they've just been waiting for a chance to tell us? We could be doing them a real favour – allowing them to come out. We could break the ice."

"And Callen could drop dead from a heart attack. Not going to happen, Deeks. We'll just have to stay under the radar."

"Really?" He looked crestfallen, but recovered quickly to cram a large and powdery snowball into Kensi's face before jumping up and pelting back to the sledge. "Last one has to ride pillion!"

"That was cheating!" Kensi scrambled up and tore after him.

"Not cheating. Just a diversionary tactic. You've got to keep on your toes, Kensi. Be alert to all possibilities at all times." Settling himself on the sledge, Deeks waited until she had settled herself behind him, arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "Okay, hold tight."

It had been years since Kensi had been on a sledge, but as soon as they started off down the slope all the memories came flooding back. Being so close to the ground gave an impression that they were going incredibly fast, that the sledge was slipping over the top of the snow and hurtling downwards at a giddy pace, almost as if they were on a roller coaster. All of a sudden she was a little girl again, out sledging with her father and feeling as if she was riding the wind. The only sounds were the runners sweeping smoothly across the snow and the wind rushing past.

"Shit!" Just as they were really picking up speed a figure came dashing out of the trees, waving both arms wildly and heading straight for them. Deeks tried to steer the sledge away from him, but there was no safe route – there were too many trees and there was no way he could avoid them. "Let go," he yelled frantically, tugging on the guide ropes in desperation.

There was a note in Deeks' voice that she had never heard before, bu it was one which Kensi had no hesitation in obeying. She had to trust that he had judged the situation correctly, because there was no time for discussion. Unlocking her fingers, Kensi flung herself bodily from the sledge, using its forwards motion to give herself enough momentum to fall well clear and then rolling over and over until she finally came to a rest, some distance away, breathless and covered in a fine coating of snow. Pulling herself up onto all-fours Kensi watched in horror as the sledge hit some obstacle hidden by the snow and first catapulted Deeks into the air before flinging him directly into a tree with sickening force.

"Marty!" Kensi could feel her heart thundering like a jack hammer as she ran down towards him, her eyes fixed on the motionless body lying sprawled in the shadows. She was running as fast as she had ever run in her life and was only vaguely aware that she was calling out his name, over and over again. He still had not moved when she got to his side, dropping to her knees and running a tentative hand over the back of his head.

"Marty?" Oh God, he could have spinal injuries, so she couldn't risk moving him. He could be dead, for all she knew, because he had to have hit that tree with some force. With trembling fingers Kensi pulled off her gloves and tried to find a pulse in his neck. It took her several attempts because her fingers were shaking so much, but at last she found one; slow and sluggish, to be sure, but at least he was alive, even if he still lay there without moving.

"Come on, Marty. Open your eyes for me, will you? Please?" So she was pleading? Kensi didn't care. Right now she would do anything for him to look at her, give her one of those lazy grins that crept across his face. Anything would be better than just looking at him and not daring to move her fingers away from the pulse point that was the only indication he was alive, so still and silent as he lay that he might very well have been dead.

Footsteps behind her sparked Kensi into action and she whirled around to find the lunatic stranger looming over her. But this wasn't the time for recriminations or even explanations. "Thank God. We need help here. My friend's hurt."

"Ain't that a shame." Jenner looked down at her and then kicked Deeks lazily, but without getting ay reaction. "Looks like he's hurt bad too."

Dawning recognition hit Kensi as she studied him more closely. "Forget about last night. We're federal agents and we need help." Her voice carried an unmistakable air of authority, but Jenner was singularly unimpressed.

"You don't say." He looked at her speculatively. "I don't think I've ever had a female fed before. First time for everything, I guess."

Just when she thought things couldn't get worse – they did. They got so very much worse. Kensi was reaching for her gun as unobtrusively as possible, but Jenner grabbed her hand and forced the fingers so far back that Kensi had to bite back the protest that rose unbidden to her lips as the pain hit hime. There was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction of seeing that he was hurting her. She'd rather die first. With a sinking feeling of dread Kensi remembered Deeks asking her what she would do if he wasn't there for her, if she was threatened sexually, and she'd laughed it off, blithely assuring him that she knew he would always be there. Well, he was here alright, but he was in no state to do anything. There was only one thing she could do, given the circumstances.

"You can't just leave him here to die. He's injured and unconscious – he's no risk to you." There was no way she could stop what was going to happen, but at least Kensi could try to make sure her partner was safe. It was the least she could do and she knew that Deeks would make exactly the same choice, were their positions reversed.

"I can. Why should I care about some pretty-boy who nearly exploded my balls with his knee?"

Jenner took her gun and then aimed another kick to Deeks' ribs and this time Kensi couldn't restrain her cry of anguish. Hearing that turned Jenner on and gave him an increased sense of power. A plan began to form in his mind. Why make life difficult when it could be easy? This fed could have his uses after all, and at the same time, Jenner could get payback for last night. His balls were still aching but the prospect of revenge was a powerful aphrodisiac. He began to think about how he would take her, imagining how she would scream in agony and that got him even more excited.

"Okay, seeing you think so much of Blondie, we'll take him with us. As a hostage for your good behaviour. You put one foot out of line and your pal here gets it – okay?"

Kensi nodded and then watched numbly as Jenner hoisted Deeks bodily over his shoulder. "Get walking." He gestured with his free hand, the one holding a gun. "And don't even think about making a break for it. I'm a marksman and I don't miss. You try to run, I'll put a bullet through your spine and then one through his head."

"I'm not going to be much use to you if I'm dead," she spat, goaded beyond endurance and worried sick about Deeks. If he did have spinal injuries, this rough treatment could cripple him for life.

"I ain't fussy. Dead or alive, I don't care much. Just as long as you're still warm, it doesn't make much difference to me." Jenner had learned a long time ago to get his satisfaction wherever he could.

"Wow. The girls must just queue up for a roll in the hay with you." That smart remark earned Kensi a whack with the gun that landed painfully on her cheekbone.

"Get walking," Jenner said, just as the snow began to fall once again.

Within moments it was hard to see much farther that an arms length ahead and Kensi realised with a sinking heart that any trail the might make would soon be obliterated. Even if Sam and Callen did realise there was something wrong, there was no way they would be able to trace them. They were good, but they weren't that good. And as they had found out, cell coverage was patchy to say the least. Kensi didn't have a Plan B, because she didn't even have a Plan A. It had never been part of her plans to be raped and left for dead in the woods – and that was putting the most positive spin possible on the whole affair. But then life never did go according to plan. She should have known this was too good to last.

* * *

><p><em>I think it is safe to say that evil plot bunny has bitten both randy and slushy on their little furry butts and sent them running down the burrow for cover.<em>


	20. Chapter 20

_This is dark and disturbing, so please be advised._

* * *

><p>Kensi trudged drearily through the snow, hearing the heavy breathing of Jenner as he kept pace behind her. She kept a sharp lookout for any other signs of life, someone who might be able to help – actually, just anyone would do - but the heavy snowfall was keeping everyone off the slopes. She had no doubt that anyone with any sense was already taking shelter in the many bars and clubs around the area. Why hadn't they done the same thing? When they got out of this, she was going to make Deeks so sorry he'd even mentioned the word "sledge", let alone make her get on the damned thing. Just supposing that they got out of this. And after she had held him close. Because thinking he was dead, even for just a few seconds had put everything into perspective. They had to get out of this alive – anything else was just collateral damage and would have to be dealt with. They could deal with anything, just as long as they were alive.<p>

Occasionally, Kensi allowed herself to fantasise that Deeks would stage some miracle recovery and kick his captive in the guts before knocking him out; or that Callen and Sam would burst out from behind a tree and gun him down in a hailstorm of bullets, but she knew that the odds of that were slightly less than winning the jackpot in Vegas. Realistically speaking, Kensi knew that without her gun she was helpless against Jenner: sure she could probably get in some great punches and kicks, but when it came right down to it, the fact was that he had a gun and he was a trained marksman. It was already clear that Jenner had no interest in keeping either her or Deeks alive after he'd tormented and tortured them. She was on a hiding to nothing. The best thing she could do was to play for time, to try to keep herself and Deeks alive until the rest of the team realised that something was wrong. One thing was clear: she was not going to submit. Sex clearly equalled power and domination to him, so her wits were going to be the most effective weapons Kensi could have in the unequal struggle.

"Here we are." Jenner was panting with the effort of lugging a dead weight and when Kensi looked back she could see that Deeks was still splendidly unconscious, his arms swinging freely as his captor struggled through the last few yards of snow to a sturdily-built wooden shed. "Ain't this cosy?"

"I'll try to restrain my delight." By the looks of things it was an equipment shed, Kensi thought. It would offer some scant protection against the cold, but at least they would be out of the snow, which was falling as heavily as ever. On the downside, taking shelter meant they were hidden from view, on the off-chance that someone did come looking for them. It worried her that Deeks was still out for the count: it had been far too long and he was still showing no signs of coming around. She didn't even want to think about what other injuries he might have sustained.

"Enough of the smart mouth." Jenner thought about all the ways he would shut her up, a tantalising medley of prospects, each one more inviting then the next. "The door's open. I've been expecting you."

"How's that for an offer I'd love to refuse?" That little rejoinder earned her a kick in the pants that propelled her forwards, but Kensi felt it was worth it just to see Jenner nearly fall over as he was suddenly thrown off-balance, and besides which, it was a sally worthy of Deeks. She thought he would have liked her riposte, and he would definitely have been proud of her. It was just a pity he wasn't able to appreciate her wit. With a sinking feeling of dread, she pushed open the door and went inside.

Was this how it was all going to end, she wondered, to be raped and tortured in some dark, dingy shed that smelt of damp, gently rotting wood and engine oil? Had she finally found what she had been searching for, only to lose it all in an instant? Had she come all this way for this – to die with Deeks, but without even one last kiss? It didn't seem possible, Kensi thought as she stumbled blindly into the interior.

"Hold it right there. Hands above your head, fingers locked."

She had to give Jenner his due: he wasn't as daft as he looked and he knew enough to make sure she was handicapped, if only for a few seconds. But then he looked as if his IQ was barely in double figures, so that wasn't exactly saying very much. Wearily Kensi did as she was told and watched as Jenner dumped Deeks unceremoniously in a corner, where he sagged down into a heap on the floor.

"Looks like your boyfriend doesn't want to watch." Jenner almost sounded disappointed.

"Is that what turns you on – an audience?" Kensi gave him a pitying smile. "Can't you get it up by yourself."

"I told you to shut that smart mouth."

"I don't take orders from you. You might have a gun, but that doesn't make you a man." Kensi let her arms drop down to her sides and took a step forward. "How about you make me shut up? Or do you need a gun to do that too? Not much of a man, are you?" Unnoticed by Jenner, Deeks was beginning to stir. Their only chance now lay in Kensi managing to distract Jenner for as long as possible and hope to God that he got it together enough to join in the melee that was now inevitable.

Goaded by the taunts, Jenner swung for her, a wild roundhouse punch that was signalled a mile off and one which Kensi had no difficulty in evading. She'd sparred with Sam and this guy was a poor substitute. For a brief moment, she began to feel more positive, even if Deeks had subsided back in stillness.

"Is that the best you can do?" She wasn't going to waste her energy in trying to fight back, not just yet. Kensi knew she had to preserve her strength for what was about to come and she found to her amazement that she was able to think quite calmly and rationally, to accept the probability of rape and to work past it. Survival was the essential thing and if there was a choice between rape and death, then the choice was simple. The trick now was to make sure they both stayed alive.

"Bitch." He spat out the word and Kensi had to doge to avoid his spittle.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." Kensi was ducking and diving, bobbing and weaving, just as she'd practised a hundred times in the gym. Despite her good intentions, she couldn't resist getting in a smart punch to his ear and watched in satisfaction as Jenner staggered with the blow and then shook his head as if trying to dispel the ringing sensation. "Out of interest, have you ever had a woman who came willingly and wasn't paid for her troubles?"

She wasn't quite quick enough to completely evade the next blow and only just managed to turn at the very last moment, so that her shoulder took the blow, rather than her chin. It was a hard blow, one that sent a shudder of pain right down her arm and Kensi refused to let herself consider what damage he might have done. Then Jenner decided to change the odds in his favour and pulled out a knife. Kensi recognised it as a standard issue KBar and instinctively took a step backwards, placing herself out of range.

"Not so quick to talk back now, are you?"

She didn't even bother to dignify that with a reply. Jenner took a step towards her, and then another one, and Kensi continued to retreat, until she found herself pinned against the wall, with no further escape.

"Not so funny now, am I?"

"You're a joke."

Jenner reached out, took hold of her loose pony-tail and sawed the knife through it. "Looks like the joke's on you." He brandished the long hank of hair triumphantly in her face, before tossing it away into a corner contemptuously. "Take it off." The knife ran slowly down the fabric of Kensi's jacket and the material split apart in its wake, so that wisps of down drifted slowly to the ground.

"Make me." There was no way she was willingly going to perform some sort of perverted striptease for his sick pleasure. If he wanted to get his rocks off, he was going to have to do it without her co-operation.

"Seeing as how you ask so nicely." Jenner backhanded Kensi across the face, just as she had expected, the blow hard enough to draw blood. But in the split second before his hand smacked her mouth she managed to ram her knee as hard as she could into his groin, gambling that he was still sore and bruised from the day before. Judging from the roar Jenner gave, she was correct, but instead of halting him, it appeared to have the opposite effect, and he flung himself on her, so that Kensi was crushed against the wall, pinned by the solid weight of his body and completely helpless as he grabbed hold of both her hands and she was shuddering in disgust as his rancid breath.

"You want to fight dirty do you? I'll show you dirty."

Oh yes, he would make her sorry for what she had done. He would get her down on her knees in front of him and he would make her sorry. Jenner felt giddy at the prospect of this bitch cowering before him as he forced her to take him and he could almost see the pleading in her eyes, the way she would recoil when he exposed himself and she realised that he was in control and that he had all the power. That was the best part, when they realised they were helpless. Despite the tenderness, Jenner's groin started to throb with a familiar pleasure as the scene played itself out in his mind and he moved his face closer to her, noticing what strange eyes she had. They closed the second his lips hit hers, as he forced them open and thrust his tongue into her mouth

Kensi c could feel the bile rising as Jenner invaded her, grinding his body against her and practically ramming his tongue down her throat and she started to gag almost instantly. At least that had the effect of making him move away before she threw up, choking and spluttering. Her mouth was full of the bitter aftertaste, but at least it took away the taste of Jenner.

"You make me sick."

He didn't look bothered, so Kensi could only presume she wasn't the first person to say that too him or to throw up after one of his foul kisses. Her spontaneous vomiting didn't deter him in the slightest, because when she straightened up, Jenner came back towards her, still brandishing the knife, with a grin on his face. He wanted to have some fun first, so he ran the knife through the jacket time and time again, until it was shredded, hanging in ribbons and the air was full of feathers, as soft and white as the snow that was still falling outside.

Finally finished, and slightly out of breath, Jenner took a long, satisfied look at his handiwork. "Take it off. Or I'll cut it off you – and I'll cut you too."

There was no doubt that he meant it, so Kensi unfastened the zip and shrugged off the tattered remnants. She stood shivering in her long-sleeved top, the snowflake pendant shimmering between her breasts and tried to hold still as Jenner ran the knife slowly around her neck, although her flesh seemed to shudder reflexively in repulse at the obscenely cold touch of the metal.

Against the far wall, Deeks struggled to open his eyes. His head was pounding so hard it was difficult to think and it hurt so much that it was almost impossible to focus. Every part of his body seemed to be aching and throbbing and he struggled to work out what was going on, because nothing seemed to make any sense. The last thing he could remember was being out in the snow, with brilliant whiteness everywhere. So why was he now in semi-darkness? And why was Kensi pinned against a wall, as some goon sliced open her top, pulled the two halves apart and then ran a knife underneath her breast so that a thin trickle of blood oozed slowly down her skin? It didn't make any sense, so it must be some horrific nightmare.

He must have inadvertently made some incautious move or sound, something that alerted Jenner, because in an instant he pulled Kensi into a choke hold and dragged her across the shed to where Deeks lay blinking in pain and confusion, trying to work out what the hell was going on.

"You guessed right when you said I liked an audience." Jenner aimed another kick at Deeks, this one catching him right in the ribs and Kensi could have sworn she heard a noise like the branch of a tree snapping. "And it looks like this is my lucky day."

* * *

><p><em>I am seriously considering banishing evil plot bunny from the warren. He's gone too far this time.<em>


	21. Chapter 21

_And the darkness continues... please be aware of this._

* * *

><p>The pain that flew through his already-abused body as the fierce blow connected with his torso nearly made Deeks pass out, and for a few swirling moments he battled to stay conscious, trying to force his mind to block out the fresh wave of agony that seemed to be piercing hot pokers into his chest every time he attempted to breath. Finally, everything stopped spinning just enough for him to be able to focus once again and the sight before him made everything else seem irrelevant, forced the pain into the background as he watched Jenner continue his assault on Kensi.<p>

"Leave him alone." Kensi managed to still sound defiant, Deeks realised.

Jenner grinned sadistically, realising that at last he had found her weakness. "Don't like seeing him hurting, do you? He's nothing. Look at him – just lying there."

Deeks forced himself to remain still, to try to look as if he was unable to move. And it wasn't like he had to pretend very hard, because it was hard to find any part of his body that didn't hurt. There was a percussive pounding inside his head that made it difficult to see straight or hear properly; his left wrist felt as if it was broken, and his ribs were definitely broken. If the pain from the kick hadn't made that obvious, then the sound had confirmed it for sure. Deeks had broken enough bones in his time to be able to recognise the splintering sound all too easily. In addition, his back was afire with molten agony. But all that paled into insignificance as he watched Jenner grab hold of Kensi's hair and jerk her head back.

"Going to behave now?"

She stared back at him angrily and then dropped her gaze, realising just in time that any show of aggression or retaliation would only excite this pervert even more.

"Good girl." He ran the side of the knife down Kensi's cheek in an obscene parody of a caress. "You and me are going to get along just fine." And then Jenner's voice hardened. "Because if you don't behave, I'm going to have such fun with pretty boy back there. Want to know what I'm going to do to him?"

"I'll behave," Kensi vowed. She didn't want to know. Deeks was badly hurt enough already and she didn't think she could bear it if he was injured any more because of her. It was funny, because she found that she was more bothered about Deeks than she was about herself.

"Don't listen to him!" Deeks yelled at the same moment, raising himself up. He could take anything, bear anything if only this jerk let Kensi go. He could cope with any amount of pain for himself, but the thought of Kensi being hurt or abused was beyond contemplation.

Jenner's gaze never let Kensi's face for an instant: instead he merely stepped backwards with an almost casual gesture, so that he stepped heavily on Deeks' injured hand, using the full weight of his body for maximum impact. Kensi closed her eyes as an inadvertent yell of unadulterated agony tore its way out of Deeks' throat and he collapsed back onto the ground, clutching his hand up to his chest. She thought she would never forget that sound, or the look in his eyes.

"I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt him."

"Kensi," Deeks pleaded, his breath short and ragged. That one word said more than she would have thought possible.

She could do this, Kensi thought. It wouldn't be that hard. She could this – because she had. There was no other choice, no Plan B. She thought once again of the lasers and how Deeks had held out his hands, refusing to give up or to go to safety again. And Kensi remembered standing on a beach in LA and Deeks holding out his hands once again. It would have been nice to be able to hold his hand for one last time.

"Shut up. You heard what she said. Maybe she wants me? Ever thought of that?"

Jenner's self-disillusion would have been hilarious or even pathetic, had the circumstances been different. He turned his attention back to Kensi.

"See, if you don't do exactly what I say, I'm going to cut him. First his right ear. Clean off. Then the left." He saw the look of disbelief on Kensi's face. "Don't you believe me?"

"I believe you." She could believe this monster was capable of anything.

There was so much more Kensi wanted to say – but she wanted to say it to Deeks. Her heart was so full of all the things she wanted to tell him. "Don't look," she whispered. "I'll be fine."

"Don't do this, Kensi." Deeks wanted to tell her that he wasn't worth it, that she was the important one here and that no man was worth this sacrifice.

"I have to."

There was no choice. Absolutely none at all. Kensi found that she didn't really mind that much, if it meant there was a chance they might live. Right now, they were living on borrowed time, in the hands of a psychotic madman and every second counted, because it meant that help might just conceivably arrive. The thing that bothered her most was the fact that Deeks would be subjected to the assault, just as much as she would be, and she wasn't sure that their fledgling relationship could survive that. That was what really bothered her. The rest would be horrific, but she could switch off and pretend desperately that it was happening to someone else. It was something that had to be endured, because if it ensured their survival, then it would be worth it. But no matter how this turned out, they would never be the same people again.

Kensi found that she simply could not look at Deeks any longer, because the utter devastation in his face was more than she could possibly bear. Saying a silent farewell to him, she lowered her eyes and waited for Jenner to start.

* * *

><p>"Heck of a storm." There was a blazing log fire in the great room of the inn at the foot of the ski run and Sam was comfortably ensconced in a red leather arm chair, revelling in the heat. Two mugs of steaming hot chocolate sat on the rough-hewn table in front of them, along with a plate of sugar cookies.<p>

Callen leant back in his chair and held his stocking feet out towards the flames. "Who'd be out in weather like this?"

"Our intrepid newly weds?" Sam had been keeping a careful eye out since their arrival, but there had been no sign of the younger agents trudging down through the blizzard. "But then they've got their love to keep them warm." He took a sip of his drink and following, Callen's example, stretched out his own legs, enjoying the warmth of the fire after the high winds that only added to the chilly outside temperatures.

"So you do think there's something going on!" Callen said triumphantly. "I knew I was right."

"G – altitude doesn't agree with you. They're undercover, that's all. There's nothing more to it."

"I bet Deeks wishes there was more to it. Have you seen the way he looks at Kensi?"

"He's a man with a beating pulse. Of course his tongue hangs out when he looks at Kensi. You're obsessed with this. Don't tell me you've got a thing for Kensi too?"

"I'm a man and I've got a pulse," Callen informed his partner and then looked at Sam searchingly.

"I'm married, remember? And before you say anything else, I refuse to answer that question on the ground that I might incriminate myself."

But Callen was no longer paying attention, he was getting to his feet and staring out of the large picture window as a group of men struggled down the last part of the slope, towing a heavily-laden sled. "Anything about these guys look familiar?"

Sam was already putting on his boots, which had almost dried out. "Well, well, well. Our elusive Marines. And that wouldn't happen to be a missing load of ammunition, would it?" Talk about sitting back and waiting for the enemy to walk right into your waiting arms. This was almost too good to be true. With any luck, they could wrap this all up, make it safely out of Tahoe and be back in LA tonight. LA, where the sun shone and the weather was mild and it didn't take ten minutes to put on enough clothes to go outside and not freeze to death.

"There's one missing." Callen had counted the group three times, just to be certain. "The big one that looks like a gorilla."

"That's insulting to primates." Sam did a quick head count. "You're right."

"Do you know, on a good day I can count right up to double figures." He looked at his partner. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes." The single word was all it took. Kensi and Deeks were missing, and so was a Marine with a known grudge against them. But before they could do anything, they had to apprehend this crowd and get them safely into custody and that meant that they had to act fast. There was no time to try to patch through a call to LA. Not for the first time, Callen cursed the high mountains overhead and the raging snowstorm that made their cell phones virtually useless.

* * *

><p>"You can take these off, or I can cut them off you." Jenner gestured towards Kensi's ski pants.<p>

"I'll take them off." There was no sense in having all her clothing totally ruined, after all. There was still a slight chance they might still get out of here. Bending over, her fingers tugged at her bootlaces, the short, jagged ends of her roughly sawn-off hair falling forward and hiding her face from view. When she finally got them untied Kensi took the opportunity to sneak a surreptitious look at Deesk, and to give him a small smile of encouragement. His eyes were dark with fury and his mouth was set in a hard line.

"I'm okay," she mouthed silently, ignoring the look of disbelief that slid across his face as he registered this and then stood up and peeled off the ski pants, standing there in only her underwear, the top sliced down the front and hanging open.

Deeks had never felt more useless or more helpless in his entire life as he watched Kensi offer herself up as a virtual sacrifice to Jenner. He wanted to beg her to stop, but knew that would only enrage Jenner further and maybe encourage him to be been more brutal to Kensi. They were now at the stage where damage limitation was the only possible option. God, how he hated these impersonal terms that reduced the impact on human beings to a cold, unemotional phrase like that.

"Don't you look cute – all in pink. Pink to make the boys wink." Jenner closed one eye ponderously and Kensi had a brief fantasy of grabbing his KBar knife and ramming it right through his eyeball, straight into his brain.

"On your knees."

She sunk down silently. With one hand, Jenner yanked up her chin so that she was forced to look up at him while with the other he unfastened his jeans.

"Kensi – don't." It was no use, Deeks couldn't restrain himself any longer.

"Shut up." The Marine's voice was thick with lust. "Can't you see she's busy? She can't talk with her mouth full."

* * *

><p><em>Yeah - I know. Heck of a place to stop. <em>

_It is very apt this story is called Stormy Weather, because that is exactly what we are having here in Scotland. We're talking gale force winds of up to 165 miles an hour, with the police advising people not to travel at all. I tried to persuade evil plot bunny to go out but he's ignored me and is staying put._


	22. Chapter 22

Jenner 's gaze never left Kensi's face, with was filled with repugnance. "Go on then. Get going."

He had been waiting for this for a long time; since he'd seen her dancing in the nightclub. At that moment he had known he would have her and, sooner or later, Jenner always got what he wanted.

She looked up at him, knowing she was pleading and hating that he had brought her to this state. No man had ever managed to do this to her before, to literally bring her to her knees and force her to do something that was so utterly repugnant she could feel the her stomach starting to heave all over again. As she looked at him trying to fathom how anyone could possibly treat another human being in this fashion, to subject them to his will in this manner, Kensi realised that had never hated anyone so much in her entire life.

Outside, the wind was howling, but inside the shed the only sound was Jenner's rapid breathing and an obnoxious leer spread across his face.

"Forgive me," Kensi thought, praying to a God she wasn't even sure she believed in anymore and then bowed her head down, almost as if she was praying.

And then there was a sharp noise, magnified in the confined quarters, an instantly recognisable sound that made Kensi jerk her head up sharply, just in time to see a stunned look flash across Jenner's face as the bullet almost carved a new parting right through his hair.

"Hold it right there, you piece of shit." Deeks had dragged himself up into a seated position against the wall, with his feet braced against the floor in an effort to stop himself from tumbling forward. But his voice was steady and resolute. "Get away from him Kensi."

Before Kensi could move, the knife was back in Jenner's hand and it was pressed against her neck as she was forcibly dragged around to face Deeks, who had a look of steely resolution on his face and the Beretta aimed at Jenner's head.

"You don't have the guts to shoot me."

"Wrong, you dumb fuck." Deeks fired as he spoke and had the brief satisfaction of seeing a look of mute incomprehension on Jenner's face before the bullet flew straight through his skull and then mashed his brain into oblivion. The knife fell to the floor from his lifeless hand, just a fraction of a second before his body crashed down to the ground.

"Today's lesson: always remember to check the unconscious guy for weapons." Deeks let his gun arm fall down to his side and leant back against the wall, trying to bring his breathing under control. "He really was a stupid bastard." He felt nothing: no relief, no guilt – just a hollow emptiness.

"Your timing sucks, Deeks." Kensi looked at the small, neat hole in Jenner's forehead and at his eyes, staring sightlessly up at her. She moved away, not bothering to shut them. As far as she was concerned, he had forfeited any right to be treated decently, as a human being ought to be treated. "Did anyone ever tell you that?" It was difficult to believe that it was all over, even if she could feel a huge rush of adrenalin flooding through her body.

"Sorry, it was a bit difficult to think straight for a while back there. Let alone shoot straight." His biggest fear was that he'd either shoot her or that he wold only wing Jenner, who would then cut Kensi's throat. It had been the biggest gamble of his life and Deeks was aware that it was only by the grace of whatever deity was looking down that the shot had come off. He would relive that shot a hundred times, in smothering dreams that choked him with mindless terrors and wake up in the night, crying out as he saw a torrent of blood gush out of a gaping wound in Kensi's throat. Chance and probability had balanced on the edge of that knife blade and it could have all gone so horribly wrong. He closed his eyes firmly, trying to shake away the thoughts. It was an incredible relief to open them and see Kensi standing there, alive, and almost in one piece.

"Did you hear me complain about your shooting?" Kensi pulled the ragged edges of her top together and found that her hands were shaking. "I thought that was it, Marty. I really did."

All of a sudden she discovered that her legs would no longer support her weight and she staggered briefly before managing to sit down beside him.

"Me too," he confessed. "Kensi – what you did – what you were going to do…"

Kensi shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it. Really. Okay?" She reached out blindly and took hold of his hand. "Please, Marty. I just want to forget about it." Right now, Kensi didn't think there would ever be a time when she would be able to talk about what had nearly happened. She just wanted to blank it all out, to lock this away in a box and then throw the key into the depths of lake Tahoe.

"Fair enough. " He could understand how she felt. Deeks raised Kensi's hand up to his lips and kissed it. "But I'll never forget it. You're amazing."

"No, I'm not. I was terrified." She moved a little closer and dropped her head onto his shoulder. "I was so scared." Her voice was a husky whisper and Kensi was aware that she was only just holding things together.

"I know, baby girl. So was I," he confessed. "So was I. I've never been so scared in my life."

"I still owe you one."

Deeks knew what she was alluding to. "No way. I owe you." So he'd pulled her out of an explosion and ripped open a couple of wounds?

"Nothing happened," Kensi protested. "I'm fine."

"That's not the point." It was what she had been prepared to do. "Greater love hath no man than this," he quoted softly.

"One: I am not a man," she said, with a little of her old spark. "And two: who said anything about love?"

Wearily, Deeks rested his head back against to wall and turned to look at her. "I did. Looks like you were right when you told me my timing sucked. Sorry about that."

"Don't you ever say that again." Kensi got onto her knees and stared at him. "Do you hear me?"

"Yeah. It's not the time or the place. Sorry." What kind of an idiot was he to bring something like that up at a time like this? Kensi was right – he really did have lousy timing.

"I thought I told you to stop apologising?" Kensi took a closer look at him, noticing the slightly unfocused look had returned to his eyes. "Exactly how hard did you hit your head?"

"Too hard." He looked at her quizzically. "So – you're not mad at me for saying that?"

"For saying what? You didn't really say anything, did you?"

She had pushed him right into a corner, but Deeks didn't care. "You know what I said. You know it and I know it.

"Right now, I only know one thing: I want to get out of here."

There would be a time to talk about all these things, but this was not it. Kensi hoped that later on there would be a time when they could talk, somewhere far removed from this hellish place and all the high tensions that were swirling around them. If they were going to do this – and she badly wanted them to –then they should be somewhere else when they spoke properly. She didn't want to say these words here, because that would ruin everything. Such a moment should be special and wonderful; something they would both remember forever.

"Sure. If that's what you want?" Deeks felt a mixture of relief and disappointment.

"I want to go home." Kensi confirmed as she felt utter weariness sink into her entire body.

"There might just be a bit of a problem there." He looked down at her ruined top and Kensi crossed her arms defensively across her chest, ignoring the raised eyebrow her maidenly gesture caused. "Your jacket?" He looked down at the floor, which had a fine dusting of feathers and down, while the jacket itself was in tattered shreds.

"Hetty is going to be so pissed, isn't she?" The ghost of a smile flitted across Kensi's face.

"Maybe she took out insurance on us?" Deeks tried to take off his own jacket and hissed in pain as his wrist and hand protested violently.

"Who in their right mind would insure you?" Kensi turned around to see what he was doing and exclaimed in horror. "Stop right there. I mean it."

"You can't walk down the mountain half naked. And go put those ski pants on right now before you freeze to death."

Not needing to be told twice, Kensi started to pull them on, grateful for the warmth they instantly provided. Casting a regretful look at the parka Jenner was wearing, Deeks eventually managed to pull his own jacket off and handed it across to her. There was no way he was even going to suggest either of them put that parka on. It was probably stupid, but he felt as if his skin would crawl just touching it, far less wearing it, and he knew that Kensi would definitely rather freeze to death.

"And put this on. I've still got a couple of layers of clothing."

"What a pair we make." Kensi used the remnants of her jacket to fashion a makeshift sling and watched as the colour all but drained out of Deeks' face as she gently eased his arm into it. "You could just stay here while I go down and get help?"

"And let you get all the glory? No way." He looked regretfully at his Beretta and then handed it across. "Here. I guess you'd better have this."

Kensi took it, remembering the last time he had offered it. Why did she and Deeks have so much history that even the simplest things sparked an avalanche of memories? Well, that was simple – because they had a 'thing'; they had something almost undefinable, something that resonated so deeply within her that it almost hurt. It was as if the stars were directing their fate, because they were soul mates and destined to be together. Only that was romantic nonsense, and she was probably just in delayed shock. They were just pawns in a much bigger game, and today they had been pawns in jeopardy, pawns who had almost been sacrificed. It was a thought that lay uneasily and Kensi tried to dismiss it, but she knew that she would not be able to completely choke down the feeling of dread that still bubbled uneasily away within her.

"Thanks. I'll take care of it." She held out her hand. "You up for this?"

Deeks accepted her help to get up. "You know me, Kensi. I'm pretty much up for anything."

His head swam horribly when he finally managed to stand up, and the dull ache in his back increased back up to a level that was fast approaching unbearable, but after an uneasy pause that involved a lot of deep breathing and convulsive swallowing.

"Next time I suggest we go sledging, smack me – will you?"

"Don't tempt me. I'd love to, but you'd probably enjoy that too much." Kensi grabbed hold of his good arm and they started to walk slowly towards the door. "This wasn't your fault, Deeks. It probably would have happened anyway."

"Only because I kicked him the junk the other night. Don't try to sugar coat it. I'll put in a full report when we get back." Deeks knew perfectly well where the blame lay and assumed it like a hairshirt.

"You do that. And I'll put in my report about how I let the situation get out of hand in the first place by leading him on. Will that make us even then?" Kensi tightened her grip. "It happened, Deeks. Nothing can change that. Now we've just got to get on with things and deal with it."

"Can we get over this?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know." Kensi said honestly and then opened the door so that an icy chill blew in. "I hope so." She didn't sound particularly sure and Deeks could see all the wonder and promise of the past few days just floating away, as intangible and as ephemeral as the snowflakes that were falling around them. He took one last look back into the shed: at Jenner's body and at the pathetic hank of Kensi's hair lying on the floor.

"I'm sorry about your hair."

"It's only hair. It'll grow back." Kensi bent her head down against the wind and started to walk. It was only hair, but every time she looked in the mirror, or raised her hand to brush her hair back from her face she would remember this day, the cabin, Jenner and his mindless brutality.

For a few days things had seemed too good to be true and Kensi had allowed herself to get lulled into a false sense of security. She'd given too much of her heart away. Next time, she would know better. Next time she wouldn't believe in happy ever after, or be so stupid as to think she had finally found the one person who made her life complete and who gave life a renewed purpose. It was that just for one brief shining moment she had really thought that this was it, that she had finally found what she was looking for. But that was just an illusion, just like love. It was so easy to fall in love, but not so easy to live with the reality. Oh, but it had been fun while it lasted and she would always have the memories, bittersweet as they were. Perhaps there would be a day when she could look back and smile fondly. Anything was possible, after all. It had never seemed likely that she and Deeks would connect like this, or strike such a chord in each other, so that it was as if all the planets had finally slid into their long-vaunted alignment. But the stars seemed very far away right now, and Kensi had never been more conscious that she was an underling, to be buffeted as the fates decreed.


	23. Chapter 23

"Come on," she said. "Let's get off this damned mountain before it starts to get dark."

There was resignation, and exhaustion, and a distinct tone of uncertainty in her voice, all vying for supremacy, but all Kensi could concentrate on was getting back, of finding her way back home and away from this nightmare. Shutting the door to the shed was only the beginning of the journey she had to make. And she knew it was a road she would have to travel alone, with no clear end in sight. The only thing to do was to make a start, to put one foot in front of the other, and then to take a step, followed by another step and so on, just trusting that she was going in the right direction.

"You won't get any argument from me." He could see Kensi withdrawing into herself and wished she would let him help her, instead of just pushing him away.

Deeks gritted his teeth and started to walk, trying to ignore the pain that seemed to lacerate his entire torso. Those broken ribs weren't exactly making things any easier, he thought, uncomfortably aware that the broken ends of bone were rubbing against each other with every step he took. Still, the one good thing was that at least the icy winds were rapidly numbing his body, and helping to diminish the pain just enough so that he could keep on walking. It seemed very strange to actively welcome the possibility of hypothermia, but he found himself doing just that.

"It's not supposed to be like this," Kensi muttered.

"I know." How come just when they finally had managed to get their thing together, something like this had to come along and fuck it all up? Deeks wasn't sure they could ever recapture what they had had together, and he wasn't sure if Kensi ever wanted to try.

"California is supposed to be the land of sunshine. Blue skies, warm weather – and here we are, stuck in a snowstorm."

"Technically, we're in Nevada," Deeks pointed out. "The promised land is over there." He gestured vaguely with his uninjured arm and then regretted it, as his ribs protested violently enough to make it almost too painful to breath. One of these days, he thought, I'm going to learn when to keep my mouth shut.

"Promised land. Don't make me laugh. All those guns, and drugs and mindless, stupid violence. LA – the city where artifice is not an art form – it's a way of life. And I thought I could make a difference."

"You do. Every day." And she'd made the world of difference to him, Deeks realised. He wondered how they could continue to work together after this.

"It's not enough." Kensi didn't know if it would ever be enough. Right now, everything just seemed so hopeless, and she didn't want to live in this world, so full of shams and drudgeries.

No, Deeks thought, it wasn't enough. He wanted more, he needed more: he needed Kensi. And for one brief, perfect moment they had had it all, with the world stretched out before them and beckoning: it had all been theirs to take. But the dream was crushed and all hope disintegrated.

The wind was gusting around them now, swirling the snow and it was getting increasingly difficult to keep walking through. The way the snowflakes floated around was almost mesmerising and Deeks found that he just wanted to stop, to lie down and forget about everything. Oblivion had never seemed more attractive. By now, Kensi was almost dragging her partner along as his steps grew more and more tentative and she realised he was almost at the end. If he stopped, then she would have to stop too, because she wasn't leaving him out here by himself. With a start, she realised that she didn't want to leave him – not ever.

"Come on, Deeks. Make a bit of an effort, will you?" Her voice was sharp and thin and it roused Deeks out of his trance

"Sorry."

"I told you not to say sorry!" Kensi stopped and turned around to face him. "Don't you ever say that to me again, do you understand? And don't even think about stopping here and giving up – because I won't let you."

The wind was blowing directly into her face and it was making her eyes water. That must be it – because she wasn't crying. She hadn't cried when she thought Jenner was going to rape her, so why would she cry now, just because Deeks looked as if he was going to collapse?

"Wish I could make everything different." There was no pain in his chest any longer, Deeks realised, it was just that it was so difficult to get enough air into his lungs to breath and he was starting to feel decidedly light-headed. It must be the altitude, he thought.

"You make a difference, Deeks." Kensi tugged at his arm. "Think of that hot tub, okay? Hot steaming water and cold beer."

"And hot naked Kensi?" he suggested with a hint of his old spark and stumbled forward again.

"No, I'm going to be lying in front of the fire, on a fur rug." Okay, that seemed to have worked. For a moment back there Kensi had got seriously worried that Deeks was about to give up and just lie down in the snow. She wasn't quite sure how he was managing to keep going, because he looked as if he had just climbed out of his grave, but if this was what it took to keep him going, then that was what she would do.

"Are you naked?"

"What do you think?"

"You're actually giving me permission to fantasise about you naked?" he asked incredulously.

"Like you'd stop if I didn't?"

"Okay, so I'm outside in the hot tub, drinking beer and you're lying naked in front of the fire."

"On a fur rug," she reminded him.

"You're lying naked on a fur rug," Deeks repeated obediently. "That works for me, by the way."

Kensi smiled, almost able to hear the crackling of the logs and feel the warmth of the flames. "It works for me too," she admitted.

"We can make it work again. If we just try."

"Maybe." She wasn't about to commit herself to anything just yet. Right now, all Kensi could concentrate on was covering the next few yards, and then the next few after that and so on until they could finally see the lights of the resort twinkling through the gloom. Once they were safe, there would be time to work everything out, to decided where they were going and how they were going to get there. But for the moment, she had to put all her energies into simply walking.

After a while, they stopped talking and even stopped thinking about anything other than battling through the biting cold winds and trying not to slip on the increasingly icy and treacherous snow. Kensi pulled the zip of the borrowed jacket up as far as it would go and then tugged the funnel neck up over her chin. She didn't allow herself to think about how cold Deeks must be, knowing only that to stop in this weather would be suicide. Deeks just bent his head down as far as it would go and tried not to think of an old black and white about polar explorers he'd seen years ago. One of them had gone out alone into the snow to die, telling the others that he 'might be gone for some time'. Right now, Deeks understood exactly how he had felt.

"Deeks." Kensi had abruptly come to a standstill. "Look. Over there."

He raised his head wearily and saw what she was pointing to: two figures, two very familiar figures walking briskly uphill towards them.

"Were you guys planning on stay up here all night?" Callen called, before adding in aside to Sam, "Maybe they wanted to stay and stare up at the stars?"

"Enough with the romance," Sam growied, being well and truly fed up with Callen's constant harping on about Kensi and Deeks and their 'thing'. "How many times do I have to tell you there's nothing going on between them?"

"So why has Kensi got her arm around Deeks' waist?"

Sam took a closer look and then broke into a run when he saw the sling Deeks was sporting and the looks of utter weariness on both their faces.

"I'd kiss you guys, only you'd probably get the wrong idea." By now Deeks felt as if it was only Kensi's arm that was keeping him upright.

"What the hell happened?" Callen took a look at the bruises on Kensi's face and the crudely hacked-off hair.

"Hell," she repeated, almost in a daze. Help was here, she didn't have to be strong any more, she could let them look after Deeks. "One of the Marines – he took us. But he's dead now." It was the truth, although very far from the whole truth.

"It's a long story." Deeks was unable to suppress a shudder. "Any chance we can start walking again? Only if I stand here much longer I'm going to freeze to death."

"The car's about ten minutes away." Callen pulled Kensi forward and hugged her, running a hand over her shorn hair in disbelief. "You okay?"

"I will be. But Deeks took a beating." She leant into Callen.

"Only you would wander around in this weather, dressed like that." Sam was already taking off his own jacket and forcing Deeks into it. "What's got into you? Trying to prove how tough you are?"

"He gave it to me," Kensi said simply, watching as Deeks submitted to Sam dressing him with uncharacteristic meekness. "Mine got ruined. Hetty's going to be so mad."

"She'll just be glad to get you both back home in one piece. Well, almost." Sam had seen the damage done to Deeks' wrist and hand. He could feel the wind biting into his bones after less than a minute without his jacket and had to wonder how Deeks had managed for so long. Just when you thought you knew someone, really knew them, something happened and they turned right around and took your breath away.

"Let's get you home, Deeks." The guy looked half dead with cold and the sooner they all got out of this weather the better. Taking hold of the younger man's uninjured arm, Sam lifted it up to loop around his shoulders, but stopped as Deeks first let out an agonising groan and then seemed to suddenly collapse, becoming a dead weight. "Callen!"

His partner was there in an instant, taking hold of Deeks and gently lowering him to the ground, clearly concerned at the way his breathing had suddenly become loud and laboured.

"Jenner kicked him – hard. I think he broke his ribs." Kensi was on her knees in the snow beside him, holding onto his hand.

"Can't breath." Deeks' eyes were wide and round with panic.

Callen had seen this happen once before - it wasn't something you could forget in hurry. "I think one of the ribs has collapsed his lung."

"Look at me, Marty. Look at me." Kensi bent forward so that her face was the only thing he could see. "You're going to be fine. We're going to get you to a hospital and you'll be fine."

Just when things were looking up, suddenly they had gone right back downhill again.


	24. Chapter 24

_and the consequences of that fateful encounter on the mountain continue to play out... a nice long installment today._

_be not afraid, dear readers, for slushy plot bunny is bouncing back into action._

* * *

><p>Kensi stood under the shower, letting the hot water beat down on her head, trying in vain to wash away all the vile, dirty memories. She kept telling herself that nothing had actually happened to her other than a couple of slaps and one cut, that everything was alright, she was here right now in one piece, that Jenner was dead and she was safe, but it was cold comfort. Just thinking of Jenner made her shiver as violently as if someone had turned the water temperature right down to below zero, or if she was back out on that cursed mountain with Deeks, stumbling blindly through the snow and wondering if they were going to make it.<p>

This operation had been too close for comfort, it had got to Kensi in a way that haunted her and would continue to plague her for some time to come. Right now she wondered if she would see Jenner every time she closed her eyes and even if she would ever be able to sleep without the security of having all the lights blazing, just in case. Would it have been any different if it had been Sam or Callen there with her, instead of Deeks? Would she have acted any differently? The answer was probably no: her actions would have been identical, but Kensi did not believe that she would feel this way, simply because she did not have the same the same degree of emotional investment in them. It was different, because it was Deeks, and that was all there was to it. There was nothing that she would not have done to give him just the slightest chance of surviving for a few moments longer.

Emotional investment: now that was a laugh – only it wasn't funny. Kenis thought that she completely lost her mind to be thinking of Deeks and emotion in the same sentence. Deeks was the most consummate player she had ever seen, and Kensi had seen plenty in her time, both on and off the job. He was a guy who knew exactly how good he looked and was 100% aware of the effect he had on women; he was the guy who had probably averaged two girls a week, every week since he was out of diapers. Above all, Deeks simply could not help flirting with every single woman he met, with the possible exception of Hetty… and even then, Kensi would not put it past him to try to influence their formidable boss by giving her one of his soulful looks. So why was she so hung up on him? What was it about him that made her feel this way? She wouldn't put anything past Deeks, whose little black book probably expanded into multiple volumes by now. Or maybe he had upgraded to an IPad, just to keep track of all his conquests? That made her laugh out loud, the mental image that created of Deeks solemnly entering in all the details, cross-referencing to photos and phone numbers, Facebook pages and twitter feeds. It would take him days… Or maybe he would get Eric to help with that? It could amount to a full-time job after all and Deeks wasn't especially good at paperwork. She must have lost her mind to even consider falling in love with Deeks. This had just been a fling, just one of those crazy things that they would both forget about and agree never to talk about ever again.

Except… and that was the rub. That was the barb that kept rubbing into her skin and pricking her soul every time Kensi tried to dismiss the thought of Deeks and the possibility of having a relationship with him. Deep down, Kensi knew that she had made an emotional investment in him and he in her. They had let their respective masks shift for just a brief second, for just long enough to show the wounded soul that lay beneath the brilliant artifice, to reveal the true person who was longing for love and who had perhaps been looking in all the wrong places. What was done could never be undone, could never be blithely swept aside. Someone was going to get hurt, and that was a fact.

Kensi shook her head sadly, and got a renewed shock when the familiar, heavy swing of her hair was absent. It felt all wrong. Everything was wrong. She had certainly not been looking for love, and she had definitely not been looking for love with Deeks. And surely 'love' and 'Deeks' were mutually exclusive terms, if not downright incompatible?

But love didn't work like that and neither did life. You did not just get up one morning and decide that today was the day you were going to meet that significant other, the one person who would help you make sense of the senseless, who would be your still small voice of calm amidst the raging torrents of misfortune. Love crept up on you, it caught you unawares and then it knocked you down with all the finesse of a prize-fighter. You woke up one morning in a small, cramped motel room, in the arms of your partner and you realised that your heart had been taken, was being held hostage and that was it. You were hooked. Love had got you in its tenacious grasp and it was hopeless to resist. There was no logic in love, none at all. It just was, and that was pretty much it. You might try to deny it with all your might and main, but in the end, love conquered all.

Kensi had fought against her feelings for so long, knowing that to give free reign to them was to court disaster. She had carefully kept her heart in hiding and had constructed a protective carapace, only for all her good intentions to be blown away like so much thistledown in the space of one night. Today had proved that there was nothing she would not do for Deeks – absolutely nothing. It terrified Kensi to realise how deeply involved she had got over such a short space of time.

"I didn't need this," she muttered, finally turning the water off. "I really didn't need this, Deeks. Why did you have to do this to me?"

Only that wasn't the way things worked. Kensi started to towel herself off vigorously and then winced as the still-tender cut underneath her breast gave a twinge of pain. Raising her arm she surveyed the damage in the mirror – a curving wound about four inches long – shallow, to be sure, but it still stung. The doctor had told her she was lucky, and that it could have been a lot worse. Like he knew anything. The mental torment was about as bad as it could get and the cut was nothing, absolutely nothing. But medical opinion was just that – opinion. The good news was that it did not require any further treatment, once it had been thoroughly cleaned. And when medics said 'thoroughly', they meant exactly that. The procedure of disinfecting the wound had been more painful than the injury itself. And the shot of antibiotics into her butt hadn't exactly been great either. But she was assured that no lasting damage had been done, that it would heal and fade without a trace. Not one that could be seen, anyway. The deepest scars were always those you kept hidden, the scars on your heart. Kensi knew that from bitter experience. In time, they would become bearable, but they would always be there.

The woman who looked back at her in the mirror could have been a stranger: short hair, bruised and swollen face and eyes that were dark and hollow. She looked a complete wreck.

"Get over this," Kensi informed herself. "You have to get over this."

Worse things happened after all. She could be dead. Deeks could be dead. Scrub that. Deeks very nearly had been dead by the time they'd finally got him here to the hospital. That car journey had been the stuff of which nightmares were made. Callen had driven like a man possessed, taking insane risks on the icy road while Sam sat in the rear seat, propping Deeks up in his arms and speaking to him throughout: calm and reassuring. Sam was a good man to have at your side in a crisis. Sam made you believe in the unbelievable and his sheer force of personality was impossible to resist. Kensi had sat in the front seat beside Callen, her arms wrapped protectively around herself, shuddering and shivering and never taking her eyes off her partner, observing his every gasp in the rear-view mirror.

She had wanted to stay with Deeks, had been determined to be at his side, but the second they arrived at the hospital, he was whisked away in one direction, while Callen had forcibly dragged her in the other.

"You have to looked at." He brooked no argument, but Kensi gave it her best shot anyway.

"I have to be with Deeks." Her tone had been uncompromising and Kensi had stared at Callen defiantly.

"You won't be any use to him if you collapse." Callen knew that she had been running on pure adrenalin for too long and that any moment soon she was going to crash. Kensi was as white as a sheet and trembling like an aspen in the wind.

"I need to know he's okay."

"And I need to know you are okay," he cajoled and took hold of her arm. "Sam's with him, Kensi. Deeks won't be alone. So let me look after you – please?"

There was something in his eyes that had made Kensi acquiesce without further argument. Thereafter, she had been poked and prodded, wrapped in warm blankets, had her temperature taken and drank two cups of hot chocolate Callen procured from the hospital cafeteria. She had even managed to choke down a donut that had all the allure of sawdust.

"Deeks is doing alright." Once she'd finished eating the donut Callen had sat down in a chair beside her, and adjusted the blanket around her shoulders. "They managed to get his lung re-inflated and to warm him back up. Mind you, I think Sam's bear-hugs in the back of the car probably had a lot to do with that. They're taking him into theatre now to deal with his wrist and hand."

The tentative smile he ventured went nowhere near his eyes, but Kensi appreciated the gesture, and knew how much effort this was costing him. The team was close – what affected one member affected them all.

"We should have got a photo of them cuddling, G. We could have sent it as the official NCIS: LA Christmas card."

"Director Vance would have a fit. You know he doesn't approve of agents getting involved. Far less same-sex relationships." He was relieved to see that a little bit of the old, familiar Kensi was returning. Callen knew only the barest details of what had happened on that mountain, but it plain to see that it had a cataclysmic effect on her.

"All the better. With any luck he'd have an aneurism."

Like most of the NCIS agents , Kensi did not exactly trust their esteemed Director. To be more precise, she would trust him just about as far as she could throw him. That feeling had only magnified after the fiasco that had seen Hetty go to Romania and almost get herself killed in the process. Vance had been rather too unforthcoming and unsupportive for comfort during that whole mess and Kensi had little faith that he would ever stand up and be counted should any of his agents be in any real peril. He was too much of a politician to see his people as anything more than chess pieces to be moved around a board according to his diktats. And while there was something to be said for seeing the whole picture, defending national interests and building and maintaining strategic alliances, to lose sight of the human cost was unforgiveable. Vance never even considered the little people on the ground: they were just pawns in a much bigger game and they were ultimately dispensible. Thank God Hetty was different.

Hetty was indeed different. There were times when Kensi believed that the small, indomitable woman was pretty close to omnipotent, and therefore she should not have been so surprised to exit the bathroom and find her boss waiting patiently in a chair for her. Still, it was not every day you had to speak to your superior wearing nothing more than a towel and Kensi was aware that she was already at a distinct disadvantage.

"Miss Blye." Hetty gave her a searching look. "You've been through quite an ordeal, my dear."

Kensi could cope with many things: that was a given. She could be as tough as nails when it came right down to it, completely fearless and focused on the job in hand, doing whatever was necessary to bring an operation to a successful conclusion. You didn't get to become an NCIS field agent based only on a winning smile. She had what it took, and she knew it. But right now, Kensi discovered that the one thing she could not cope with was Hetty in one of her rare, utterly sympathetic moods, her eyes full of molten sympathy and understanding.

"It was… difficult," she admitted reluctantly.

"I can imagine." Hetty had only received the sparsest of details from Callen and Sam, but the local sheriff had secured the storage shed and he had reported back about the condition of Jenner's body. There was only one reason why a corpse would be found with his pants undone and his body still in a state of extreme arousal that persisted into rigor.

"I'm alright."

"No, you're not." Hetty rose from her chair and handed her a carrier bag. "But you will be. I know you will be, because you are strong: you are Kensi Blye. It will take time, but you will get through this. I promise you."

Hetty never lied. She might prevaricate, but she never lied and Kensi knew that she could trust her, just as she always had. If Hetty said she would get through this, then it was a given.

"I took the liberty of bringing you some essentials. Why don't you go and get changed?"

Back in the solitude of the bathroom, Kensi discovered that Hetty's definition of 'essential' was just as all-encompassing as she might have expected. The woman had thought of everything: from underwear to toiletries, and had even included tinted moisturiser, mascara and hair accessories. By the time she was dressed in a warm sweater and dark cord pants, with her hair neatly tied back and makeup covering the worst of her bruises, Kensi was beginning to feel like a member of the human race again.

"That's better. You look more like yourself again."

The next thing was to get some solid nourishment into the girl, Hetty thought. And then they would have a little chat. A long overdue chat. She had to hand it to her agent though, when Kensi resolutely refused to go anywhere without seeing her partner first.

"I need to see Deeks. I need to know he's alright."

"He's still recovering from the anaesthetic, my dear." After all, her first port of call upon arrival had been to go post-haste to the injured detective. Hetty had spent long hours beside his hospital before, but still, it was something she would ever get used to – and the day she did was the day she would tender her resignation and walk out of NCIS and a lifetime of trying to save the world from the worst excesses of its denizens, for that would be the day when she had lost her humanity.

"That's fine. It means I won't disturb him then." There was a fixed expression on Kensi's face that made Hetty decide that right now the better part of valour was most definitely discretion. It rather looked as if Mr Callen had been right after all and that there was a spark of something between the two younger members of the team. Exactly what that 'something' was remained to be seen, but Hetty would keep a sharp eye out. Observational skills were essential in their line of work after all.

As was to be expected, Kensi found that Deeks was in a private room and still splendidly unconscious. What she was not prepared for was the sight of both Sam and Callen, sitting one on either side of the bed like a pair of bookends and wearing the most protective expressions she had ever seen. They both leapt to their feet as the door opened, and then relaxed visibly as they saw who it was.

"No sense in taking any chances." Callen sat down with an unapologetic gesture of bravado.

"No need to apologise,Mr Callen." Hetty took an appraising look at Deeks and decided that he looked no better and no worse than she had expected. He was alive, and that was all that mattered.

"They said he's doing 'as well as can be expected', Kensi." Sam was relieved to see that she looked more like her old self. "How about you?"

"Me?" She looked at him blankly. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you both went through a hell of an ordeal," Sam started to say, but a single look from Hetty put paid to any further comments as Kensi brushed past him and perched on the side of the bed.

"Hey, Marty."

Propped up against pillows to ease his breathing, Deeks almost looked as if he was asleep, except for the small frown line between his eyes. Kensi reached forward and smoothed it away gently with her fingers, and with that one single gesture Callen knew he had been right all along. He took no joy in the discovery though, because the tender look on Kensi's face held so much yearning that he had to look away, feeling as if he was intruding on something that should be private.

It was hard to ignore all the physical signs of injury: the tube protruding from Deeks' side, mercifully not where the scars from his earlier shooting still stood out proud from his skin; the constellation of bruising where Jenner had kicked his ribs and the heavily casted left arm that rested on a pillow at his side. But although they just about tore her heart to shreds, Kensi could see past all that to the man beneath.

"You just rest now, okay Marty? And I'll be right here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere."

Kensi picked up his uninjured hand and kissed the palm, before bending his fingers protectively over the spot.

"I'll be right here," she repeated and then settled down to wait. It didn't matter how long he slept for, because when Deeks woke up, Kensi would there, sitting at the side of his bed and just waiting for him. How could she possibly be anywhere else? She hadn't meant to fall I love, in fact that had been the last thing on her mind, but for better or for worse, that was exactly what she had done. It was what would happen next that was important.


	25. Chapter 25

"We'll take a break. "Sam glared at Callen. "Give you guys some time together."

"Thanks," Kensi murmured absently, never looking up as they left the room, her eyes fixed unmovingly on Deeks' face.

"I told you." There was more than a hint of triumph in Callen's voice. "Didn't I tell you?"

"You told me."

"They've definitely got a thing, haven't they?"

"It looks like it." Wordlessly, Sam pulled his cell phone out, accessed a report and handed it across to Callen. "Read that. And then I guarantee you won't be quite so chipper." Stuffing his hands into his pockets he stalked along the corridor, his head well down.

Reading the Sheriff's report nearly took Callen's breath away. He could work out exactly what lay between the bald statement about Jenner's state of undress and arousal, the preliminary cause of death, Deeks' injuries and Kensi's state of semi-withdrawal in the car. The casual links were only too obvious. Sam was standing a short distance away, staring blankly into space.

"You don't think…?" He couldn't put it into words, and yet it all made perfect sense.

"No, I don't think. I don't anything, G – because that would be speculating. And I'm not going to speculate about something like that, especially when it might have happened to one of my friends." If you thought about it, then it was real. And he didn't want this to be real. This was the ultimate nightmare: something they all knew was possible, but which they tried to ignore. Because if you talked about it, then it might happen. Unable to restrain his anger any longer, Sam smashed his fist into a drinks machine and seemed honestly taken aback when an alarm started ringing. "What the hell is the world coming to?"

Callen flashed his ID at a security guard who pelted round the corner, clearly under the impression he was about to make the arrest of his career and apprehend some fearless soda-thieves and watched the man's face fall almost comedically. Under any other circumstances, it would have been funny. Right now, it didn't even register. "We have to do something."

"It's none of our business."

"It is. Sam, how can you stand there and say this when Kensi's been raped? She needs our help."

Sam looked at him, with eyes that suddenly looked old and weary. "Did you ever stop to think for a moment that it might have been Deeks who was assaulted?" he asked in an undertone.

The world tilted violently on its axis. "No." Callen looked at him. "You don't think…?"

"Like I said, I don't think anything. I'm not going to think anything until I'm told to. I'm going to make sure I don't think anything. How about you?"

"We can't not do anything." That sentence had come out all wrong, but for once Callen was certain that Sam would not pick him up on his lousy grammar.

"Hetty's in there with them both. She'll be dealing with it. Whatever it was and whoever it happened to. It's equally bad either way, isn't it?" For once, Sam was content to devolve the responsibility. He couldn't take everything on his shoulders and this was something he was only too glad to cravenly hand over, because Sam was painfully aware that he wouldn't have the first idea how to even begin to tackle it.

"Sometimes, it's best not to think too much about things, G," he said. His partner was clearly having problems trying to come to terms with this new information. Nothing was every quite what it seemed at first glance, there were always layers of information: Sam had found that out a long time ago. Speculation was fruitless, it only served to cloud the issues and distract from the real business in hand. If you did not occasionally stand back, you could drive yourself insane. Such good advice – and so impossible to follow right now, because they were involved. If it affected Kensi and Deeks, then it affected them all.

"Something happened."

"Agreed." It looked as if Callen had his teeth into this and, just like a dog with a bone, he was not about to let go. "And when we need to know what that 'something' was, then we'll be told. But in the meantime, just leave it – okay?" Just the thought of what might have taken place made Sam feel sick to his stomach.

"If it was you or me," Callen looked up at him. "We'd deal with it, wouldn't we? Between the two of us?" He seemed to be seeking reassurance.

"We would." They had always been there for each other and Sam could not imagine a time when things would ever change, no matter what transpired.

"So we should let Kensi and Deeks do the same?"

"Definitely."

Callen thought about this for a long time. "And you're okay with that?"

"No, I'm not. I'm not okay at all. I hate everything about this." Sam's eyes blazed with fury. "It's a good thing that Marine is dead already, because there's no telling what I'd do to him if he was still alive."

At last they were on the same page. "Me too," Callen said softly. It was always a bad sign when Sam suppressed his feelings. The big guy had an even bigger heart, although he tried to hide it behind a brusque exterior. Sam gave new meaning to the word 'protective' after all. He had needed to express his anger and Callen had been seeking to find that trigger. "Is it too early for a beer?"

There was no refuge in alcohol, they both knew that, but sometimes it helped to deaden the pain just enough to allow you to carry on.

"Sounds good to me." As they started walking, Sam looked at his partner curiously. "Is it just me, or do you feel that we let them down somehow?" The thought had been nagging away at him for ages now.

"I feel the same way. Like we're responsible somehow – like we should have been looking out for them."

"Like we're the big brothers?"

"I wouldn't know." Only the moment Sam said that, it all made perfect sense: that was exactly how Callen felt – if he had ever had siblings. The team was the nearest thing he had to a family, and that family had been threatened and assaulted and Callen felt it as keenly as if he himself had been attacked. "No – you're right. That's exactly how I feel."

"It's not that they're not good – I don't mean that."

"I know. They're good – but we're better."

"We're the A-Team?"

"Exactly."

It could have been them. They both knew that. But it hadn't been, so all they could do now was to wait, just as Kensi was waiting. And when the time came, they would be there. Because that's what big brothers did. They might tease and torment, and have to assert their superiority from time to time, but they also watched proudly when the kids pulled it off, and when the young ones were threatened, they protected them, any way they could.

"So, if you're BA, and I'm Hannibal, I guess that makes Kensi Face and Deeks gets to be Murdoch?"

"I should be Hannibal. I'm the brains here, G. Why should I be BA?"

"Because you've got anger management issues?" Callen took off down the corridor at a run.

* * *

><p>The day had finally died, in a blaze of golden-red glory, setting the sky alight with brief splendour and the moon was half-risen, cool and serene in a darkling sky before Deeks started to stir.<p>

"Marty? It's alright. You're in the hospital and everything's okay."

"Kensi?" Deeks sounded groggy, as if he was still out of it and his eyes weren't focusing properly.

"I'm right here."

"You okay?" It was an effort to talk.

"I'm fine. Hetty's been looking after me. She's right here."

"Hetty's here?" Deeks wondered if he was imagining things, or if this was some strange sort of nightmare he couldn't wake up from. It was never a good sign to wake up and find Hetty sitting beside your hospital bed. It either meant you were really badly hurt, or she had something pretty terrible to tell you. Or both.

"Of course I'm here. I'm your next of kin, remember?" She sounded as crisp and efficient as ever. If they ever dropped the atomic bomb, Hetty would be the first to emerge from a bunker in a tailored radiation suit to survey the damage and then announce 'Oh bugger' in ringing tones of condemnation.

How could he possible forget that? Even woozy from the anaesthetic, that wasn't something he was about to forget in a hurry. "Uh huh." It seemed expedient not to say anything else so Deeks just looked up at Hetty and tried to smile. He couldn't have been too successful, because the strangest look came across her face, and she patted his hand and then brushed his hair away from his forehead. Deeks could vaguely remember his mother doing that one time when he was sick, but that had been a long time ago, and nobody had done it since. It felt kind of nice though, and he let his eyes drop shut again as she began to talk, telling him just to rest, and not worry about anything.

"Look after Kensi?"

"Of course I will, my dear."

And it was the strangest thing, because Deeks could almost have sworn that he felt a soft kiss on his cheek. But Hetty would never do anything like that, so he must have been imagining it.

"Go back to sleep, Marty."

He wanted to tell Kensi to go back to the lodge, to get some sleep, but Deeks found that he was too tired to manage to form the words. He must already have been asleep and dreaming when he thought he heard Kensi say "I love you," because she would never say anything like that, far less say it in front of Hetty. Still, even it was a dream, it was possibly the best dream he'd ever had.

"When Mr Callen and Mr Hannah get back, I think you and I should go somewhere rather more private." Hetty sat back down and regarded Kensi implacably. "Because we need to talk."

It had to happen, she knew that. "You're probably right."

"I need to know what happened up on the mountain." Hetty placed the tips of her fingers together. "For the files. You know how important it is that we have a complete record."

"I know." And it wasn't as if Deeks was going to be in any fit state to write his own report any time soon.

"That is all I need to know. I do not need to know anything else beyond that. The facts and any other pertinent information is what I am seeking. I have absolutely no interest in anything else. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly." Kensi wasn't entirely sure what was going on here but she wasn't about to argue

"Good, I'm glad we understand each other." Hetty might wear glasses but she had never had any difficulty in seeing what was right under her nose. "And, strictly off the record, it took you long enough. Both of you are far too stubborn for your own good."

For the first time in hours Kensi couldn't help grinning. "It was all the fault of that storm," she informed her boss. "That storm, a crowded motel and a very small bed. And the fact that Deeks behaved like a perfect gentleman."

"Heavens to Betsy. Our Mr Deeks has more self-restraint than I gave him credit for." Hetty looked at him with renewed respect. "What a pity he can't use some of that to curb his unfortunate tendency to make inopportune remarks."

"He wouldn't be Deeks if he didn't say outrageous things."

"That's very true. Sad, but true." Hetty could feel relief flood through her body as she observed the almost palpable change in her agent. "Up there – with Jenner – he didn't force himself on you, did he?"

Kensi shook her head. "No. He was going to, but…" For a brief instant, she was back there in the shed, kneeling on the floor feeling so helpless and so trapped and all she could think of was how much her knees were hurting and how cold she was, because she had deliberately switched off all her emotions. But now, here in the warmth, knowing that she was safe and that Deeks was going to be alright, Kensi could finally give herself permission to weep. It felt so good just to finally be able to let all her feelings out, to abandon all attempts at self-control and give vent to all the pent-up emotions she had been repressing.

"That's right, you have a good cry." Hetty had been seriously concerned at Kensi's stoic demeanour, her resolute refusal to talk about what had ensued. She had been worried enough to consider contacting Nate and asking for his advice. But she had a feeling that her agent was going to be just fine – with a little help from her friends. There was only one thing left for her to do – and that was to make sure that these two young people did not go and bugger things up before they had even started. If they couldn't see just how perfect they were for each other, then maybe Hetty was going to have to give them each a metaphorical kick up the backside. And if that didn't work, then she would jolly well give them a physical one too. Once Mr Deeks had recovered sufficiently, of course. Hetty had no intentions of jeopardising things any further, and he did have an unfortunate tendency to be rather accident-prone without her making matters any worse.

* * *

><p><em>Slushy plot bunny has been working on Hetty...<em>


	26. Chapter 26

By the time Sam and Callen finally came back, just slightly glassy-eyed, Kensi was composed once again, and looked much more like her normal self, even if she was no longer wearing any mascara.

"How nice to see you gentlemen have been making the acquaintance of John Barleycorn." Nothing escaped Hetty's eagle eyes.

"It was long over-due," Sam assured her and took a quick look at the patient. "Is Deeks still asleep?"

Kensi resisted the temptation to tell them he was merely resting his eyes. "He's still asleep. A general anaesthetic will do that to you every time. Plus they've been pushing pain meds and antibiotics into him on a regular basis."

"Sleep is the best medicine." Hetty stood up and stretched. "And one which we should also avail ourselves of. Our two colleagues here can take the night shift. It will give our colleagues the opportunity to metabolise some of the alcohol they've been indulging in."

They had walked into that one, Callen realised. Still, he was not prepared for Hetty holding out her hand towards them with an expectant expression on her face. He looked back at her blankly.

Did she have to spell it out in words of one syllable? "The keys, if you please." She spoke slowly and with exquisite enunciation.

"For my car?" Sam really looked as if he wanted to say 'no', only he didn't quite dare. Few people had ever refused one of Hetty's requests and live to tell the tale.

"For the car NCIS currently allows you to drive," she corrected pleasantly. "You wouldn't expect us to hitch a ride back to the lodge at this time of night, would you?"

"You're going back to the lodge?"

Hetty looked at her senior agent as if he were no more than an exceptionally slow schoolboy. "Yes, Mr Callen, we are. Funnily enough, I prefer sleeping in a bed, wherever possible. And the lodge has are two very comfortably appointed bedrooms, doesn't it, Ms Blye?"

"Does it?" Kensi looked nonplussed. "I hadn't noticed. I mean…" She stopped before she incriminated herself any further.

"I think it's time you went to bed, Kensi," Callen said kindly, and just managed to refrain himself from adding 'alone'. There would be time for to tease Kensi about Deeks and vice versa later on, of that he was quite sure, just from the atmosphere in the room. Whatever Hetty had said, it had done the trick, for which he was profoundly relieved.

"I should stay here – in case he wakes up." Kensi looked anxiously across at the bed and as if in response, Deeks moved restlessly, disturbing the covers and moaning softly. She was at his side in an instant, adjusting the bedclothes, but not before giving his exposed foot a tender caress and then tucking th blankets in carefully around him..

"Deeks is going to sleep until morning. I guarantee it. That man could sleep for California. Besides which, he's not exactly going anywhere, is he?" Sam had not missed the intimate gesture, or indeed the smug look his partner was giving him.

"I suppose not." Reluctantly, Kensi let herself be led out of the room. "You take care of him, understand?" She waited until they both nodded acquiescence before finally leaving.

"She's got it bad." Callen looked across the bed at Sam.

"And you are so interested – why?"

"You aren't?" Callen shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm not as interested as you are."

"Come on – this is Kensi and Deeks – of course I'm interested. Who wouldn't be?"

"Someone had a life to keep them otherwise occupied? G – you've got to let go of other people and lead your own life, build your own relationships."

Given that Sam had a good deal of the mother hen about him, that was not unlike the pot calling the kettle black, Callen thought. "I've had plenty of relationships," he said testily.

"Past tense. You've got to live in the present." Sam looked slightly smug. "Of course, it's not easy. I dounderstand."

"Well, what with the job and everything, you're right. It's not easy." And Callen had never worked out how Sam managed to stay married. Of course, his wife had the patience of a saint, plus she was about as tractable as a Sherman tank – and that was on a good day.

"I'm not talking about the job – I'm talking about you. A man of your age, still single, no fixed abode. It makes you wonder."

"I was married," Callen protested.

"So were Kensi and Deeks, if it comes right down to it. And their marriage was about as real as your marriage."

"And I've got a house."

"Which Hetty bought for you and then bullied you into paying for. And what's in that house? Other than the kitchen fixtures – which the previous owners left behind, you've bought a chair and a lamp. That's not normal."

"I've got a bed."

"An inflatable mattress from a camping store doesn't count as furniture. What would you think if you went back to some woman's house after a hot date and walked into somewhere that was virtually bare?"

"That she was a free spirit?" It was grasping at straws, Callen realised, but that was what drowning men did after all.

"You'd think she was weird – and you'd turn right around and get the hell out."

"Not necessarily. It depends."

"On what?"

"On how big the mattress was?" Callen grinned at him. "And how hot the girl was."

"You concentrate on your own love life and leave Kensi and Deeks to theirs. Unless you're jealous." Sam looked at him carefully. "Well – are you?"

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?"

"Some people might think you had a bit of a thing for Kensi."

"Kensi thinks you've got a thing for Sam." The sleepy voice from the bed effectively ended all conversation.

"What did you say, Deeks?" Callen bent over the bed and shook his shoulder gently.

"Kensi thought you were a couple." Deeks blinked a couple of times and then smiled sleepily up at him. "These are really great drugs." He was feeling absolutely no pain at all.

"Glad to hear it, buddy." Sam forcibly pulled his partner away and patted Deeks gently on the leg. "How about you go back to sleep?"

"Okay." It was testimony as to how very good the drugs were that Deeks obeyed without a single demur.

"He was joking, wasn't he?" Callen was ashen-faced.

"He's too stoned to joke."

"Why would Kensi think I was gay?"

Sam refrained from mentioning that Kensi had also thought he was gay, mainly because he'd rather forget all about that, thank you very much. "Maybe you give out the wrong signals? Maybe that's why you have so little success on the relationship front." He sat back, wearing the smug smile of a married man with a child.

"You don't think I'm gay – do you? Sam?"

Sam left it for just long enough so that Callen was starting to get worried. "No, I don't think you're gay. But maybe you should ask Deeks next time he wakes up? Get the opinion of someone who's not biased?" Satisfied that he had bought himself a couple of hours of peace, Sam settled for a pleasant little snooze.

"You snore." Sam woke up to find Deeks lying in bed and staring at him with an accusatory look.

"Not as loudly as Callen." He gave his partner a prod in the ribs.

"There's not much in it."

"Doesn't Kensi snore?"

Deeks looked at him blandly. "How would I know?"

Callen spluttered. "You shared that motel room, remember?"

"And I fell asleep. It had been a long day." He looked supremely virtuous.

"You're telling me that nothing happened?"

"I'm telling you that I'm starving." Deeks' stomach gave a hollow rumble, just to prove the point. "What kind of hospital is this anyway? In LA, every time I woke up, there was another pot of Jello. Usually in a highly unnatural, chemically enhanced colour, so that it looked as if it would glow in the dark."

Now that he mentioned it, Sam was aware that his own stomach felt as if his throat had been cut. "I'll go and see if I can get some food sent up. And anyway, I thought you hated Jello?"

"I do. But that's not the point. When you're in hospital, you should get Jello." Deeks shifted uncomfortably. "While you're at it, maybe you could ask if I'm due some pain meds?" After lying awake for an hour, during which period of time his arm felt as if it was going to explode, Deeks had had more than enough of the pain, but he felt rather pathetic, having to come right out and ask, because he was sure that both Callen and Sam could undergo invasive surgery without so much as a Tylenol and not make a single murmur.

"Sure." Sam realised that it had to be at least ten hours since Deeks had been given any pain relief and felt a pang of guilt. According to the doctor who had come by just before midnight, Deeks had cracked a couple of ribs when he'd hit the tree initially, in addition to the three broken ones he'd sustained courtesy of Jenner. Add to that a minor concussion, plus a broken wrist and hand, and that meant he had to be in agony. Kensi would kill them when she found out. And Hetty would be even worse… Maybe he could make amends by nipping out and getting some decent coffee?

"Where's Kensi?" Deeks looked around expectantly.

"Hetty took her back to the lodge." Callen watched as the younger man's face fell at this. "I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"That's okay." He lay back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling, wondering why he felt so disappointed. There was no reason why Kensi should have stayed, after all. It was just that Deeks had thought that she would have stayed. But it didn't matter. If he told himself that enough times he might even start to believe it.

"I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Sure." Deeks tried to sound as disinterested as possible. Why had he expected anything else? "She is alright, isn't she?"

"Kensi? She's fine – and Hetty's looking after her. You're the one we've all been worried about."

If Kensi had been worried, she would have stayed, Deeks thought. He had this strange, almost nebulous memory of Kensi saying that she loved him, but that must have been a dream. Because right around the same time, he'd thought that Hetty had kissed him, and there was no way that would ever happen. And in the end, no matter what, Kensi wasn't here and actions spoke louder than words.

"Me? I'm fine. I'll be out of here this afternoon."

"I don't think so." Callen gestured to Deeks' side. "Not until they're satisfied that your lung's going to stay up."

Deeks looked at the tube with considerable disgust. "Does that actually go right inside me?" 'the thought was strangely repulsive.

"Yup. And then down into that bottle." As Callen watched, another air-bubble emerged from the tube.

"Gross." Today was getting worse by the minute. Twenty four hours ago, things had been so different. Yesterday, Deeks had thought that life couldn't get much better and he had been completely right, because now life was officially crap and getting worse by the second. "So I'm stuck here?"

"You're stuck here. With me and Sam."

"Great."

"Thanks. We love you too. So, about Kensi…" Callen let the sentence trail off invitingly.

"What about Kensi?" He wasn't about to buy any pigs in pokes. Besides which, Kensi would kill him if he had said anything – and the way Deeks was feeling right now, he might just let her.

"Last night you said…"

"Last night I was doped up to my eyeballs," Deeks reminded him.

Callen continued as if he hadn't spoken. "… that Kensi thought we were gay. Sam and me, I mean."

"No need to explain. Kensi knows I'm not gay." He'd probably said too much already, Deeks realised, but luckily Callen was preoccupied, so he'd probably got away with it.

"And?" Callen said invitingly.

"And what?"

God, Deeks could be really annoying. If it wasn't for the fact that he was lying in bed and looking all pathetic, Callen would have been tempted to smack him. "It was the drugs talking, wasn't it? When you said that last night? Kensi didn't really think I was gay, did she?" After all, Callen had spent a good six months having decidedly heterosexual thoughts about her. And still did, on occasion.

"No, it was true. When she first joined, Kensi thought you and Sam were partners with benefits. A couple. More than just good friends."

"Okay, I get the point. There's no need to go on about it."

"You were the one who asked," Deeks pointed out. "And now you know."

"What does he know?" Sam came back into the room, followed by a nurse. A very, very cute nurse, Callen realised. He smiled at her, letting his eyes crinkle attractively and saw the way she looked at him appreciatively. So far, so good…

"I told Callen that Kensi thought he was gay."

The nurse immediately lost all interest and once again Callen had a strangely compelling urge to hit Deeks. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" His chances of getting a date were somewhat less than zero.

"What did I say?"

The innocent look on Deeks' face did not fool Callen for one second and he vowed to have his revenge, even if he had to wait for a long, long time.

"I think Detective Deeks needs some pain relief." Judging by the look on Callen's face, Deeks was definitely going to need it.

* * *

><p>There was no doubt about it: they were very good pain pills. Deeks realised this when he woke up around midday to find Kensi standing by the window, her arms crossed protectively around herself and staring blankly into space.<p>

"Hi."

"You're awake." Her voice was flat.

"I'm awake." Deeks couldn't help but notice that Kensi would not meet his eyes.

"You look better." No, he didn't. He had huge dark circles under his eyes, and Kensi couldn't stop looking at the horrific bruising on his ribs. The knowledge that it went right around and covered half his back was unbearable. How the hell had he managed to stand up, let alone walk down that mountain?

"So do you." If you ignored the fact that she had a split lip and a bruise on her cheekbone. Deeks thought of the knife wound and then regretted that, because that made him think of Kensi's breasts. Which were possible the best breasts in the whole world.

"I think we need to talk." This should be like ripping off a band-aid – the faster you did it, the less it hurt, even if it didn't seem like that at the time.

Deeks tried to sit up without whimpering like a girl as his ribs raged white-hot fire. "You're probably right."

Oh yes, this was officially his worst day ever.


	27. Chapter 27

"We need to talk about what happened." Finally she turned around to face him, and the weak winter sun caught the snowflake pendant and sent rainbow-hued reflections dancing around the room.

"Which bit?" Deeks asked politely, wishing his mouth wasn't quite so dry. "The bit about us making love or the bit on the mountain?"

Kensi's mouth moved silently, and Deeks thought there might have been the suspicion of a smile there, only it was difficult to be sure. And then that vague, disquieting ghost of mirth or memory disappeared, and she was frowning at him. "All of it."

"Okay. We'll talk about things.I've got nothing else to do. Only you're going to need to give me a minute."

Kensi looked at him blankly and Deeks could feel himself going red. "I need to go, Kensi."

"Go where?"

Was she being deliberately dense or was she just trying to completely humiliate him? "I need to pee," Deeks said bluntly, deciding that there was no point in being subtle about it, and pulling aside the bedcovers. Moving too hastily was his first mistake, as the world swum about him in an interesting, if slightly nauseating fashion and he sank back down with a groan, holding his head in his hands.

"Lie still! I'll get the nurse to bring you something." Kensi was at his side in an instant, but Deeks pushed her away.

"Leave me alone. I'm going to the bathroom and there's nothing you can do to stop me." What – did she really think he was going to pee in a jug in front of her? I'm not a child to be bossed around. You don't automatically know best, Kensi – even if you think you do." There was real anger in his voice, as Deeks fought back another wave of pain.

"I do know that you've got a chest tube in though," Kensi pointed out, with eminent reasonableness.

"Crap." She had him there. At least Kensi hadn't actually said 'I told you so', even if it had amounted to the same thing. Deeks flopped back on the pillows in resignation. "Go on then – go get the nurse."

"Seeing you ask so politely, I will." Of all the irritating, aggravating men she had ever had the misfortune to meet… Deeks had been trouble since the day she'd met him. He'd probably been trouble since the day he was born. No wonder he didn't have many friends in the LAPD if that was how he treated them. She waited until the nurse came back out of the room, a covered container in one hand and a broad smile on her face.

"Detective Deeks is such a nice man – and so funny," she said happily.

"Oh yes, it's just hilarious working with him. I practically never stop laughing."

The nurse gave Kensi a strange look. "Oh – you just work together then? I thought you were…?"

"We're partners – work partners. That's all."

"Really?" There was a glint in the nurse's eye and Kensi felt a strange pang of annoyance.

"Really," she replied and then felt like kicking herself. What was she doing? She was practically giving this complete stranger the go-ahead to flirt with Deeks. And it wasn't as if he needed any help in that department.

"So you wouldn't mind if I gave him my number?"

Behind her back, Kensi crossed her fingers. "Of course not. Not in the slightest. Why would I mind?" Was she protesting just a little bit too much? Why did just the thought of this nurse going out with Deeks bother her so much?

"Deeks has always had a thing for nurses. I've lost count of the number of nurses' numbers he's got." She regarded the nurse appraisingly. "He looked up at you with those big eyes and did that whole wounded puppy trick, didn't he? He's so predictable." And she should know after all, because every time he pulled that look, Kensi felt awful.

"No, he didn't do anything like that. But it's strange that you don't mind. You see, the other guys who were here said you two had a 'thing'." The nurse looked at her curiously. "I guess they were wrong."

"They were wrong," Kensi assured her fervently, and making a silent vow to have a very necessary little talk with Callen and Sam. One which would definitely involve a lot of shouting on her part and very possibly the use of tasers. "We're just partners. That's all. We don't have a 'thing'. We don't have anything." That wasn't a lie, because what had happened was in the past and it wasn't going to happen again. Probably.

"You never know – one day 'anything' might turn into 'something'. It might even become 'everything'." There was a knowing smile of the nurse's face – one that made Kensi immediately suspicious.

"Hetty's been talking to you, hasn't she?"

The nurse shrugged. "You might think so- but I couldn't possibly say." She moved closer and spoke in an undertone. "Your boss is very thorough – she found out I used to be in the Navy. And she knows a lot of people." She didn't need to say any more.

"I am going to kill her!" Kensi vowed. She'd always known Hetty was devious but she had overstepped the mark here, interfering like that. After all she had said last night and this morning, why couldn't Hetty simply let well enough alone? She'd confided in Hetty, opened her heart to her in a way she had never done before, and this was how she was repaid?

"_I don't know what to do."_

"_About what, my dear?" Hetty poured herself another cup of tea._

"_About Deeks."_

"_What about him?"_

"_About him and me." Kensi played nervously with her pendant. She hadn't taken it off since Deeks had fastened it around her neck. It didn't mean anything, it meant nothing. It was just that it was so pretty._

"_Why do you have to do anything?"_

"_Because I think I'm in deep."_

"_And why is that so bad?"_

"_It frightens me. The idea of needing someone so badly, of caring so much about them that you would do anything – absolutely anything - for them. What if it all goes wrong?"_

"_What if it doesn't?" Hetty regarded her implacably. "Some people might say that if you go through life expecting the worst, then it will happen. There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so, as dear Hamlet so rightly says." That was the thing about Shakespeare – he literally had a quote for every occasion and he said it better than even Hetty could ever hope to. "Love isn't logical, Kensi. But it is wonderful."_

"_Who said anything about love?"_

"_I did. And one day you might too. If you're brave enough. It's much easier to turn your back than to take a risk, throw caution to the winds. Sometimes, you have to go in without a plan B and just trust the other person."_

"_I trust Deeks."_

"_Then what do you have to worry about?" It sounded so simple, the way Hetty put it. So simple and so utterly logical. But... There was always a but, after all._

"_It's too soon. I'm not ready. And need some time to think about everything, and some space."_

"_Do you really? And what about Mr Deeks? What does he need?"_

_Kensi wasn't able to answer that one._

"_This isn't just about you, after all. Don't lose sight of that. It takes two people to make a relationship, but only one to break it." Hetty knew that only too well: she spoke from bitter experience and the pain was still bitter._

last night, Kensi had trusted Hetty with the secrets of her heart, and she had believed that Hetty trusted her to do the right thing. After all, Kensi was an adult and Hetty trusted her enough to let her carry a gun – so why couldn't she trust Kensi to do what was right for her private life? Why did everyone have to interfere? Why couldn't they just leave her and Deeks to sort things out by themselves?

"Detective Deeks seems like a nice guy. You could do a lot worse." IF this agent didn't want him, then the nurse was definitely going to give him her number.

"What I could really do with is for people to stop interfering in my life," Kensi assured her testily and stomped back into the room.

"You were shouting out there." Deeks was sitting up in bed, with his hands folded in his lap and the oxygen prongs back in place. He didn't fool her for one second with this pretence of meekness. Kensi knew him too well to be fooled for one instant. She knew everything about him - and that was the trouble. She knew too much and she still found herself drawn to him. If she didn't get out now, then she never would.

"I need a break from this – from everything."

"Like in 'Friends'? Or not? I need to know. I don't want to make the same mistake Ross did."

"I need some space." Kensi wasn't about to go down that particular wormhole of weirdness.

"There's a lot of space up here in Tahoe."

There was something wrong with this whole scenario. This wasn't the Deeks she knew. "Why aren't you arguing with me? Cajoling me, trying to coax information out of me? Just being plain nosey? What's wrong with you?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I just can't be bothered anymore? You do what you want, Kensi. Because you always do. Nothing I say ever makes any difference anyway, does it? You know that and I know that."

"That's not fair." It felt as if he'd punched her right in the solar plexus. Was this how Deeks really felt about her?

"Life's not fair. And I'm fed up fighting you. You want a break and some space – I say fine, go right ahead and you're annoyed. What would you have done if I'd begged you to stay? Was that what you were waiting for? Just so we could have some stupid argument and you could storm out?" He felt so tired and he just didn't have the energy to do this.

Kensi looked at him carefully. "This isn't like you, Deeks."

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you thought you did?" he suggested. "Maybe this is exactly what I'm like when I'm pissed? Which I am, by the way. Pissed and tired of having another stupid argument. And I'm so tired. I think I'd like to try to sleep now, if you don't mind."

It didn't escape his notice that she was back to calling him 'Deeks' again, rather than 'Marty'. That told him more than anything else: it told him pretty much everything. It was over – it was over because Kensi had decided it was over and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Deeks shut his eyes and waited until he heard the door shut, only for it to open again. This place was worse than Grand Central Station, he thought.

"I'm trying to sleep here."

"Nurse Andrews tells me your stats are down."

His eyes flew open at that, to discover a doctor standing beside the bed and regarding him closely. "My stats?"

"Mmm." The doctor, who was easily as tall as Sam and considerably broader, looked at the machines carefully. Deeks wondered vaguely if they had to have his white coats made especially. "Yes, you're not getting enough oxygen. If you look at your hand, you'll see your nail beds have a blueish tinge to them."

Sure enough, they did. That was freaky. "Maybe I'm still cold from yesterday?"

"No, in fact if anything, you're running a slight temperature."

"My partner tends to get pretty fiery when she's mad. Maybe she sucked all the oxygen out of the room?" It was a pretty feeble joke, but it was the best Deeks could manage under the circumstances.

The doctor grinned at him sympathetically. "Miss Lang warned me that she can be rather volatile. But I think we're going to have to insert another chest drain, just to be on the safe side."

That didn't sound good, Deeks thought. "Do you have to?"

"Yes, he does. Didn't you hear a word the man said, Deeks? Or do you only hear what you want to hear?" Unable to restrain herself any longer, Kensi stepped out from behind the doctor. "You don't get enough oxygen – you get brain damage, you idiot."

"I thought you needed some space?" He looked at her accusingly.

"I did. And then I heard you needed me." And that had changed everything completely. It had put things into complete perspective and suddenly Kensi wasn't frightened any more and she knew exactly what she wanted. It could be summed up in two words: she wanted Marty Deeks.

"I don't need you."

"Yes, you do. And that just proves you're not getting enough oxygen, because you can't think straight. So let me just set you straight: you and me, we've got a thing, Marty Deeks."

"A good thing or a bad thing?" Despite himself, Deeks couldn't help smiling. God, Kensi was so cute when she was mad. Cute and hot, which was possibly the best combination in the whole world. And he couldn't resist her. He'd never been able to resist her, not from the first time he'd seen her. Basically, he was putty in her hands. And there was nowhere he would rather be than in her hands.

"That's what we've got to work out, isn't it?" Kensi bent forward and kissed him and then let out a shriek of horror. "Your lips are blue too!"

"Maybe you might let us do the procedure then?" the doctor suggested mildly, but with a certain steely inflexion that was impossible to miss.

"Be my guest." Kensi stood aside and let him do a quick examination.

"I think we'll move do this in a procedure room. Just in case. I'm afraid we're not going to be able to give you a sedative, because that can suppress your breathing further. So it's going to be rather painful."

Deeks just looked at him. "I'd kind of worked that one out." They were going to cut a hole his side and shove a rubber tube into his lung and hey – it was going to hurt? Who would have thought that?

Kensi grabbed hold of his hand. "I'm coming too." The doctor tried to say something, but she just gave him a single look that effectively stifled any further protest.

"Don't argue with her," Deeks advised the doctor as they started to wheel his bed out into the corridor. "I've learned that it's useless."

"You're starting to the hang of this, aren't you, Marty?"

"Yeah – but I'm a slow learner, so you might need to keep reminding me."

"I guess that could be arranged." Kensi kept pace as they went along to the procedure room.

"You'd have to stick around to do that. I can be very forgetful." He raised one eyebrow quizzically.

"I guess I'll have to stick around then." It wasn't exactly going to be a hardship after all, because Kensi knew there was nowhere else she wanted to be. He might be able to annoy her more than any other man, but he also made her feel better than any other man. And besides which, she just needed him, needed to be with him.

Even the prospect of a gruesome medical procedure couldn't stop Deeks from grinning. "Have we done talking then?"

"You might have. I've still got a lot of things I want to say to you. But they can wait. They can all wait." Kensi had realised that nothing really mattered, other than that they were together. That was all that mattered, because if they were together, then they could work anything out

"That 'thing' we have?"

"What about it?"

"Do you think it might be real?"

"Definitely. It's the real thing." Kensi turned around and smiled at the nurse. "And you can tell Hetty I said so."

* * *

><p><em>Slushy plot bunny is in raptures. And evil plot bunny is sulking. Serves him right!<em>


	28. Chapter 28

_Okay - this is the last chapter! Hope you enjoy and thank you once again to everyone who has been reading and reviewing._

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><p>"I still can't get used to Kensi with short hair." Sam looked across the lot to where Kensi was waiting by the car. "Or with bangs. She looks completely different."<p>

Rather than just getting her hair tidied up, Kensi had decided to go for a completely new look and had walked out of the hairdresser's looking like a completely different woman. Her hair now just touched her shoulders in a glossy bob, and the deep bangs seemed to highlight her dark eyes.

"I still can get used to Kensi and Deeks being together." Callen sounded aggrieved.

"Give it a rest. Just because you've got a thing for Kensi, there's no need to be bitter."

"I don't have a thing for Kensi." Callen caught the look of incredulity Sam threw him and decided he had better amend this. "Not really. But you must have wondered – haven't you?"

"Wondered about you and Kensi? No, I haven't – because the whole idea is ridiculous."

"That's not what I meant." Surely Sam had indulged in the odd fantasy about Kensi? Just because he was married didn't mean he was dead from the neck down.

Sam ignored him, knowing very well what his partner was hinting at. He was not going there. "You and Kensi would be all wrong. You're more like brother and sister. Much older brother and much younger sister. Or father and daughter."

"Very funny"."

"Anyway, if Kensi was going to go for older men, I'm much more her type."

"Don't make me laugh. And just what is Kensi's type?"

"Deeks is," Sam said succinctly. "Young and hot."

"I remember the day," Callen said sadly.

"Good. You hold on to your memories, G. Pretty soon they'll start to go too. Along with your hair. Which is starting to get a bit thin at the crown." He cast a meaningful look.

"You're a bundle of laughs today, do you know that? But you'll be laughing on the other side of your face soon"

"You reckon?"

"I reckon." Callen reckoned it was definitely time to take that smug smile of his partner's face. "Two hundred."

"Two hundred what?"

"Two hundred dollars. As in 'you owe me two hundred bucks'. That bet we had – remember? Or is your memory going too?"

"We're back to the 'thing' again, aren't we?"

"We are. And I was right." Callen felt his gloat was fully justified.

"I take it back: you're like an elephant. You never forget – especially when there's money at stake. Do moths fly out when you open your wallet?"

"Don't be a sore loser." Callen watched as Sam counted out the bills. "Anyway, I've got plans for this."

"Am I going to like these plans?"

"Stop thinking about yourself. This is Christmas Eve, right?"

"With deductive skills like that, you're going to go far."

Callen ignored that remark. After all, he could afford to be generous. "And Hetty's arranged for Kensi and Deeks to stay in the lodge while he recuperates."

"How come we never get offers like that?"

"Maybe because we're not a couple? Anyway, Kensi's been stocking up on food and drink for when she finally springs Deeks from the hospital, but there's one thing she hasn't thought of." Callen outlined his plan.

"You really are quite a romantic at heart, aren't you?" Sam was seriously impressed with his partner.

"I try my best. Sadly, it's usually wasted."

This year, like last year and the year before that, Callen would spent Christmas day with Sam and his family. One day, it would be nice to spend it with someone else. He didn't grudge Kensi and Deeks their happiness – not much, anyway – but one day it would be nice to experience it for himself. In the meantime, Callen thought he could try to make the day special for his team mates. He might be jealous – but he wasn't bitter. Not really.

* * *

><p>"It's like I've got this whole new woman." Deeks let his hand curve around the newly-exposed nape of Kensi's neck.<p>

"You like it?" She had been nervous at first, but had finally abandoned herself to the ministrations of the hairdresser, who insisted she would look great. And he had been right.

"I love it. You look amazing."

"I feel amazing." Kensi leant back contentedly, letting her body mould into his. "I feel like everything is brand new."

It had snowed again, so that the lodge was surrounded by a pristine blanket of white that sparkled in the dying rays of the sun. Inside the lodge, with the fire blazing away in the hearth, it felt as if they were the only people in the world.

"Still wish we were back in LA?"

"Why would I want to be back in LA when you're here?" Last Christmas, Kensi had made the mistake of pretending that she was going away for the holidays, in an attempt to make Deeks jealous, only for him to confound her with a gift. A really thoughtful gift, that had made Kensi feel terrible, because she hadn't got him anything. Her plan had been to spin Deeks along for a little while longer, and then to turn up at the homeless shelter where he volunteered, but that present had ruined everything. So Christmas last year had been a lonely affair, spent alone in her apartment, being very aware that the biter had been bitten and that her plans had backfired in the worst possible way. Somehow, Kensi had not been able to confess to her ruse, and she had suffered for it. This Christmas was going to be different.

"If they'd let me out yesterday, we still could have got back home."

"If you hadn't kept running a temperature, you mean?"

There had been an anxious few days when Deeks had spiked a high fever, and had babbled nonsense before the doctors finally got the infection under control. During that time, Kensi had been equally out of her head with worry, refusing to move away from his bed except when absolutely necessary. She had spent a lot of time alone with her thoughts, and it had her see everything with fresh eyes. That time had allowed everything crystallise into perfect clarity, so that all the obstacles she had once thought were insurmountable had simply flown away.

"If wishes were horse, then beggars would ride, Marty."

"If we came back up here in the springtime, we could ride." That hopeful look was back on his face again.

"I don't ride." Kensi looked at him challengingly. "I'm thirty years old and I've managed quite nicely up until now without knowing how to ride. I reckon I can manage for the next thirty years too."

"Does that go for skiing too?"

"You are not skiing for the rest of this season. You heard what the doctors said. So we can discuss that next year." At which point Kensi had every intention of saying 'no way' to any future proposal that she should indulge in snow sports. Deeks could ski and snow board to his heart's content, and she would go shopping, or sip hot chocolate and watch him throw himself down the side of a mountain, if that was what made him happy. Life was all about compromises, after all.

"You're going to keep bossing me around, aren't you?"

"Definitely."

"Good." It had been a long time since anyone had cared enough to fuss over him, and Deeks was enjoying the attention. It made him realise just what he had been missing for all these years.

"I reckon you should go to bed now."

Okay, there was a limit to how much fussing he could take. And this was it. There was tender ministration, and then there was molly-coddling and downright interfering. "I know I'm just out of hospital, but I don't need a nap."

"Who said anything about sleeping?" Kensi uncoiled herself and stood up. "I've been sleeping alone for far too long And that bed is definitely too big without you." She held out her hand invitingly. "And I've missed you. I've missed you so much."

"Missed you too, baby girl." This sounded like exactly what the doctor had ordered. "You'll have to be gentle with me. And remember that I might be a bit out of practice." There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that had been missing for far too long.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll take care of you. I'll take very good care of you indeed."

"Is that a promise?"

"Definitely". Kensi pushed him down onto the edge of the bed. "You just sit there like a good boy." She knelt down and began to take off his shoes.

"Do I have to be a good boy? I'm better at being a bad boy."

"When you're good, you're very, very good – and when you're bad, you're better?"

"Exactly."

"It's been so long, I think I'm going to have to start getting to know you all over again." Kensi took his bare foot and laid it in her lap. "Now, where should I start?"

"How about here?" Deeks laid his finger on his lips.

"What a good idea."

It still felt like a miracle – the way she felt in his arms, the way their bodies just melted together and fitted into each other so perfectly. The first touch of Kensi's lips seemed to send a jolt straight through his body, searing down into his heart and then arcing down into his groin. Nobody had ever felt like Kensi, and nobody had ever made him feel like Kensi. Kissing herwas like experiencing the end of the world, with all the attendant passion, and tenderness and promise of more to come.

"You are wearing entirely too many clothes," Kensi commented.

"Maybe you should do something about that?" With one arm out of commission, Deeks was happy to let her take care of matters.

"Maybe I should. And maybe I will." Kensi took off her own sweater first, and then her jeans, just for good measure.

"Nice lingerie." Dark red satin, that made her skin glow – what was there not to like? "And you're still wearing the pendant."

"I never take it off," Kensi assured him, tugging gently at the hem of his shirt and then easing it off over his head.

"You like it that much?"

"I love it. And I love the man who gave it to me even more."

"Really?"

Kensi was kneeling beside him, looking straight into his eyes, so that Deeks felt he could drown in her gaze. "Really. I love everything about you."

She pushed him back gently, so that they were both lying on the bed, and she was unbuckling his belt, and kissing his stomach as she pulled off his jeans. And then they were lying together as the mystic twilight hovered outside, the dying embers of the day as dusk slowly ceded to darkness, skin touching skin, discovering each other all over again, experiencing once more how just a kiss could take you halfway to heaven.

"I don't think I knew what love was – not really. Not till we were out there on that mountain and I knew I'd do anything for you." Deeks was aching for her, needing her so badly and the caress of her fingers along his inner thigh, the way they teased and tantalised the fine line of hair that ran down from his navel was driving him to distraction.

"I felt exactly the same way." Kensi gasped as Deeks kissed her breast, and then cupped it in his hand, drawing her nipple into his mouth and suckling. Her hands halted for a second, fluttering to a standstill as she abandoned herself to his touch and then she bent her head down to find the tender spot just underneath his ear, the one that always made him react as if he had been hardwired into the main electricity current.

"Not fair." Deeks was laughing at her, and she was laughing back, even as her hands moved to hold him and she heard that sigh, that groan of utter contentment, like she'd given him all the stars in the sky to play with.

"I never said I would play fair." Lying side by side, looking into one another's eyes, the world seemed very far away. Kensi moved slightly, and eased her leg over his hip. "Let's take this real slow."

"I can't promise anything." She was warm and welcoming, and so moist it was like sliding into nirvana. Nothing had ever felt as good as this, nothing could ever compare to this: this hot, unbroken circle of love.

"Just promise me you'll always remember this." Kensi cupped his face tenderly. "This moment, and how perfect everything is."

"I promise."

They were lying so closely intertwined that it felt as if they were truly one, that there was no beginning and no end. The past had informed them, made them who they were, so that it was as if their entire lives had been leading up to this moment and they could reach out and touch infinity.

"I really do love you, Kensi."

"I love you too, Marty."

The future was waiting them, just around the corner and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow held infinite promise. All they had to do was to go there together. On Christmas Eve, when the world waited to celebrate the birth of the Saviour, they had found the true meaning of life on earth: love. It was that simple.

* * *

><p>"I can hear something. Listen." Kensi sat up in bed and switched on the light.<p>

"I told you before: Santa won't come unless you're asleep." Deeks watched resignedly as Kensi pulled back the covers and reached for her robe.

"There's definitely someone outside." Her gun was already in her hand.

"Now you're making me feel guilty." Shrugging into his own robe, Deeks grabbed his gun and followed her.

Edging forward cautiously, Kensi wondered what new catastrophe was about to befall them. "What can you do with one arm out of commission?"

"I could hit them with my cast?"

"So you do admit there's someone out there?"

"There's one way to find out." Deeks pulled back the curtains. "Come here, Kensi." He pointed out to the deck. "Looks like Santa has paid us a visit."

There was a small tree placed directly in front of the picture windows, and it was ablaze with tiny white lights, while silver snowflake ornaments shimmered against the bleak darkness of the night and a large red ribbon was tied around the trunk.

"It's beautiful." She looked at him enquiringly. "When did you arrange this?"

"Don't look at me. I'm as surprised as you are." There was an envelope lying on the deck and Deeks nodded towards it. "That might just be a clue."

"You stay here," Kensi said fiercely. "I don't want you getting sick again." She dived outside, grabbed the envelope and darted back in again, shivering dramatically.

"Want me to warm you up?" Deeks pulled open his robe, and then followed suit with Kensi's, hugging her closely, relishing the feeling of her skin against his own.

"Any excuse." She didn't resist, rather she welcomed his embrace.

"Exactly." He savoured the moment for as long as possible, before curiosity got the better of him. "Are we going to open it then? Or maybe you want to play a guessing game?"

"I can think of much better games to play with you." Pulling her robe back around herself, Kensi ripped open the envelope and pulled out a card.

"_To Kensi and Deeks,  
>Merry Christmas<br>from Hetty, Sam and Callen."_

"They know, don't they? About us, I mean." He looked at the tree and shook his head in wonder. How the hell had they managed to do that?

"I think they knew before we did, Marty."

"I've got couple of weeks of sick leave and you've got holidays due, right? So by the time we get back to work, this will be old news."

Kensi shook her head. "They won't let us get away so easily. But who cares?" Right now, she didn't care if the whole world knew.

Actually, it would be a relief not to have to pretend any longer, Deeks thought. But there was one thing that was still bothering him. "I haven't got you a present."

"You got me one last year. And anyway, you're just out of hospital, so I didn't expect one. But I've got an idea."

That sparkle in her eyes could only mean one thing. "Go on."

"How about I go back out, get that ribbon and then wrap it around you?"

"I love the way you think."

"I just love you. Period."

This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

**THE END**

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><p><em>All the plot bunnies have now been rounded up and are safely back in their burrows. Until the next time...<em>

_I tried to leave evil plot bunny up at Tahoe, but Hetty said that he'd just cause more chaos and hadn't I done enough maiming already? I explained that there is no such thing as 'enough' when it comes to maiming Deeks, because he maims so beautifully and she just gave me one of her looks. It was quite like old times, and I felt like I was back at school again._

_thanks again for reading!_


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